Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
by angelicakes
Summary: There is a murderer among the smashers, and he shows no mercy. Every night, it seems a new victim is killed. How will the smashers react, and how will they solve this problem? Can they stop the murderer or escape before it's too late?
1. The First Victim

IMPORTANT: 

Well. If you hadn't noticed before, this fanfic was in crappy quality, excuse my harsh self-criticism, but it's sadly true. As a treat to all my readers, I have decided upon fixing it up a little to fit the character's needs. It went a little wayward with all the irksome character qualities that didn't exist, and it took uploading them on Deviantart and re-reading them to realize just how much I butchered them. xD;;

My deepest apologies. But I have never played a few games. such as F-Zero, Starfox, and Metroid. Well, I have played Metroid a little, but not enough. :3 So I suppose it's either I do my research or get off my lazy butt and go play me some.

On with the upgrade. Please don't hesitate to smile.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - 

An icy wind chill flowed past the half-open window in Falco's room. On his bed, he sat down at the edge kicking his feet for some kind of amusement.

"Ugh... I can't get to sleep," Falco complained. I can't believe it's already 12:30 in the morning," he grumbled, glancing at the digital clock on his bedside table, its companion a small touch lamp. He sighed impatiently. Here he was so bored, he was talking to himself.

"Worse yet, I'm so tired, but I can't sleep somehow." He lay down on the scattered sheets of his bed. He never seemed to make his bed, or clean his room even. But he didn't care. To him, it was a waste of time.

"And I'm curious why the wind is so cold and drafty. It's July 15th! Oh, wait, it's past midnight. July 16th." Falco felt kind of hot in his room, so he felt that opening his window halfway and letting the mysteriously cool air get into his dark room would help. It felt relatively refreshing to him. He lay there, placing his wings behind his head, losing himself in thought.

The annual tournament for the smashers had been occurring ever since July 6th. He had recently defeated Donkey Kong yesterday, and felt confident in himself for the next upcoming fights.

"Oh yeah, I'm gonna win this one for sure," he declared to no one in particular. "Nothing's gonna stop me."

A strange voice coldly spoke. "Or will it?" Falco quickly bolted upright. The sound was coming from the interiors of his closet. It was icy and sharp, yet it seemed to spell death. Ganondorf? No, too quiet. Mewtwo? Nope, the voice sounded too much like the grim reaper. "The hell?" When there was no repose for quite some while, Falco stopped his breathing, and begun to feel his heart pound deep within his chest. On this cloudy moonless night, it spontaneously started to rain.

"Alright, who's there?" Falco inquired boldly, irritated by his prickly fear, which felt like an itchy rash on his ego. "Show yourself!"

The voice cackled, sending a wavelength of chills down Falco's spine. There was something strange about this presence, something Falco didn't like. "Why don't you come over here instead?"

Falco thought a moment. Then he grabbed his blaster, which was also on his bedside table. "No. You come out. I've never heard your voice before; I don't know you, and now I'm positive you're not Ganondorf or anyone else who might like to hide in my closet. I'm warning you, I'm armed." His throat felt dry as he spoke.

"Trying to threaten me, hm? No. You're not as strong or brave as I thought. You're not a falcon. You're a mere chicken."

"How dare you insult me like that?"

"Coward. You're too afraid to come over here yourself, I bet." The strange voice never seemed to change it's expression at all. "I'm not afraid of you. I know who you are. I know what you're thinking. I can sense your motions, and I can already taste your blood. There's no escape, Falco. I've got you." With that, the closet door slowly began to open, making a creaking sound as it did, and Falco thought his heart could explode right through his chest in a messy slop of red pulp. He held his blaster poised to the direction the man was coming out from, ready to shoot for his life's sake, his wings shaking madly due to the stress. Beads of sweat covered his feathered face.

"I hate people who walk around at night! Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"And shouldn't you? It's obvious you fear me. Poor you. This is the last of your time you've even got alive. There is no running away now." The closet was fully open. An exceptionally black figure in heavy clothing appeared. Falco could not decipher his face clearly, but he was positive it wasn't any normal human face. And in his hand, which was also concealed in more black clothing, glinted the shine on a blade of a knife. Falco gulped, about to pull the trigger of his blaster.

"What the hell do you want with me?" Falco demanded, his voice trembling with slight fear. It began to feel like some dramatic action or horror movie, perhaps even one of those dark soap operas he caught Mario watching one time. It was something to laugh at, but not now. He was too curious about this bitter presence who tried to disturb his lack of sleep with death threats.

"You'll soon find out," the figure said, laughing coldly. With one sudden lunge, the figure had Falco pinned to the ground. He knocked the blaster out of his hand immediately, and Falco struggled with all his might to get away from this dark, evil creature. There had to be something he could do to counter this beast, but whenever he attempted to move against him, it was nullified. This was soon evolving into just about the scariest thing that ever happened to him.

Falco gasped in horror as he saw the knife pointed straight at his heart, high up in the air. "Time to say goodbye," the dark figure said evilly, and for a second, Falco caught a glimpse of his face. It was like nothing he had ever seen... so terrible. And that was just about the last he ever could see, because the next second the knife had penetrated deep within his chest. He could feel the cold pain of steel ripping at his insides. A blinding pain struck him. He let loose a bloodcurdling scream, and watched as his entire life literally flashed before his eyes. The cloaked figure dug more into his insides, sawing at his chest hard. There was another type of deep impact, for something electric swirled inside his preys' dying organs, and when he was satisfied, he ripped the knife right out, and began stabbing various other areas on Falco simply for the fun of it. Blood splattered all over the room, and feathers flew. His jacket was stained with his own blood, and Falco gasped his last breath, before rolling his eyes near the back of his head, dying.

Contented, the wicked figure turned around, fawning over his blood covered knife. "Pathetic bird." He then disappeared into thin air, smoke filling the room.

Meanwhile, in Yoshi's room, he had awoken to the death cry of Falco Lombardi. He was up in an instant, but realized he had been asleep on his desk writing crappy pieces of poetry out of boredom.

"What the heck was that?" Yoshi pondered in his acute voice. Curious, he left the safety of his room and went towards the location he heard the scream.

"Sounded like Falco. I wonder what kind of bad dream he's having now?" He remembered the last one Falco had rudely awoken him up to, their rooms being close together.

-FLASHBACK-

Yoshi was sleeping soundly in his freshly made bed, when all of a sudden, he woke up to someone screaming like they had just lost their head or something.

"Falco..." Yoshi groaned. He arose and went across to the next room, Falco's. He found Falco in a fetal position, murmuring words Yoshi couldn't make out.

"What is it this time?" Yoshi questioned impatiently, made into an angry dinosaur due to his desire for peace in his clean room.

"He's come..."

"Who's come?"

"Him..."

"Who?"

"The fat purple blob..."

"Which one?"

"Happy Meal..."

"Um..."

"Gr.."

"Wha?"

"Grimace." He shuddered violently.

"Uh-huh." Yoshi remembered the giant, fuzzy, purple booger that scared all the little kids away just by smiling. He was one of the McDonald's mascots, one of the scariest.

"Scary, isn't it?"

"Um... yeah. Please don't give ME any nightmares, either." He left.

-END FLASHBACK-

His room was right across from Falco's, so it wouldn't take too much effort to get there. "I'm gonna tell that old crow to shut up," Yoshi said. When he wasn't a happy, cheerful, ridiculously eccentric creature, he became a wet cat when he was in the middle of a watermelon dream. He tried to open the door to Falco's quarters, but it seemed jammed somehow. "What the..." Yoshi tried harder to open it. The hallways were pitch black, so he couldn't see. Yoshi cursed under his breath, and dragged his red-shoed feet back to his own room to turn on the light so he could see what was going on with Falco's door.

"Finally... Some light!" Yoshi said in relief. He gasped and switched face when he saw the doorway oozing out a small amount of green jello-like slime.

"Something weird is going on around here," Yoshi said to himself with a gulp. He attempted to open the door once again, the beam of light from his room shining on him. After 5 more tries, he finally managed to push the door open. He switched the light on, and what he saw made him shriek for a quick second, his face turning a pale green.

On the ground lay Falco, a dark pool of blood escaping from the body. His white jacket was stained with his blood, and a hole was cut through his chest and various other places. Yoshi could see more blood splattered around the room, and his jet-blue feathers littered the area of where he lay. Yoshi covered his eyes, and turned off the light again before rushing back to his room, and slamming the door shut. He breathed deeply, not one to work well with trauma. In the morning, he would tell Master Hand the terrible news. Yoshi was in for a sleepless night.

The next morning, Yoshi had told Master Hand.

"Master Hand!" Yoshi yelled. "Master Hand!"

"What?" the white gloved, giant hand asked grumpily. "I just woke up."

"No, this is serious!" Yoshi pleaded. "Listen to me!"

"You look as if you have seen a ghost," Master Hand commented, not knowing half the story. "What's the problem?"

"I doubt you'll believe me, but Falco is dead!"

"WHAT?" Master Hand boomed. "You can't be serious! I expected something more plausible from you, Yoshi." The dinosaur's voice was the most irritating thing to hear in the morning, to top it off, and Master Hand was not pleased in the least.

"Yes I am," Yoshi said. "Come look yourself! Please please please, I'm not even kidding!" His eyes were large pleading plates, demanding that the owner of the Smash Mansion would follow him into the perplexing sight.

"Fine. I'll go, but if you're just BSing me, you're in for it, and I may have to disqualify you. You know I'm not happy with you for losing the last fight..." Master Hand and Yoshi raced across the mansion like they were hightailed by wolves, mainly due to Yoshi's frightened speed, which caught a couple of stares from some of the smashers. They then reached the second floor.

"Go inside," Yoshi ordered.

"I know," Master Hand said. He floated gently inside, Yoshi following slowly behind. Master Hand couldn't believe what he saw.

"Oh my..." He never finished. Yoshi's eyes began to water, even though he wasn't all that fond of Falco himself. Seeing someone dead is still bad enough, especially someone you at least know. Master Hand sighed and shook his head, which was actually himself. "I'm going to have to tell the rest," he admitted mournfully. Yoshi sniffed, grabbed one of Falco's bedsheets, and covered the body so that nobody else could walk in and see it, lest they were even more sensitive than poor Yoshi.

"Good job," Master Hand said. "He did look very creepy with his eyes wide open and stuff." Yoshi nodded in agreement, not able to say anything.

"I'm gonna have to announce it in the great hall," Master Hand said in an upset tone. "Right now. Try to get everyone into the hall. I know some may be asleep still, but when they wake up, they'll catch on pretty soon. This is pretty bad." Yoshi obeyed, and headed out of the room to go inform everyone.

About twenty minutes later, everyone except Mr. Game and Watch, Ganondorf, Jigglypuff, Marth and Luigi were assembled into the Main Hall. It was the biggest room in the Smasher's HQ. Sometimes, parties, dances, celebrations and other events were held in this great room. Everyone usually ate their meals in here as well. Most smashers were eating their breakfast right now.

"I wonder why Yoshi wanted us in here so suddenly," Peach said to Samus after swallowing a bite of her pancake.

Samus, who was out of her suit at the moment, nodded. "Me too. He told me Master Hand wanted to tell us something important."

"Now I'm very curious," Peach said. Master Hand abruptly glided onto the stage. He got everyone's attention immediately, since he was a giant floating hand. Everyone became silent.

"All you smashers down there," he started in a loud voice. "Listen to me. I have some incredibly bad news."

"What's it about?" Roy interrupted, his eyes big pools of curiosity.

"Silence, and I will tell you." He took a deep breath. "Anyone see Falco around today?" The group of smashers all shook their heads, and some murmurs of no were heard. Master Hand continued.

"Well, he... He died last night." Everyone exchanged shocked or disbelieving glances towards one another, and some more quiet murmurs were hard around. Fox spoke up.

"That's a big lie," he said flatly. His face showed that, in a way, he denied it, but at the same time he was just a little more determined to get through to the real truth of the matter. Afraid that his friend could actually be dead, but he didn't want to believe it. They had gotten into a small frustrated scuffle over a small detail in their winnings, but had eventually made it up by playing a game on Falco's computer he made dedicated to shooting Slippy. It completely changed the outcome of their disdain, and now Fox and Falco were on better terms. It awed him to consider Falco a dead bird, but the information he was about to receive would eventually change his attitude in a way he did not like it.

"It's true!" Yoshi blurted. "I saw it myself!"

"Yes, that is right, Yoshi was the one to find him in the first place. Falco is surely dead, because he was stabbed in various spots, especially hard in the chest. Puddle of blood surrounded him as well. His eyes were wide open and glassy, but had no life in them. He's gone." The great hall suddenly became alive with talking again. Words of "Falco's dead?" or "This can't be!" or "Is it for real?" were mostly heard.

"SHUT UP!" Master Hand boomed. Everyone was quiet again. "I've closed his door and placed a sign up. I don't want anyone in there unless they get permission from me. Got that? I locked it expecially for your incovenience, just like the cookie jar. Now I want Samus, Zelda, Fox, Ness and Mewtwo to investigate further at the crime scene. Then, they'll bring the body to Dr. Mario for a closer look at the body. I have no idea how or if a funeral is acceptable, but well..." He stopped there.

"Hey, will this affect the tournament in any way?" Link asked bluntly.

"Yes. We may have to switch things around. In fact, I may also have no choice but to cancel it if things go awry." A few groans were cast around.

"That is all I have to say." He floated away, leaving the smashers at suspense, shock and amazement, yet sorrow.


	2. Recovering From the Shock

"This is some job," Zelda noted, sighing sadly as she laid the bloodstained bedsheet aside. A few gasps or winces from Ness, Fox and Zelda were cast around.

"We're... supposed to investigate THIS!?" Ness exclaimed, going bug-eyed.

"Yes, as well as the entire room itself," Mewtwo added flatly. He wasn't too excited about this job either. Fox went down on his knees, his face turning pale with the impact, eyes seeming to space into a forbidden abyss.

He could barely speak. His eyes were glued to the awkward sight of seeing his comrade covered by death's greetings, and it was so peculiar that his head rang with the shooting of Denail and being replaced by the embodiment of Truth. It was difficult for him to do anything but mull, and he turned away, succumbing to reality and choosing not to involve himself with the investigation. He left in a flash.

"Fox…" Zelda brought out his name in order to stop him, but understood it was much too late. She pondered on how he felt about this whole incident. After all, it was difficult even for herself to swallow the sight of fallen Falco.

"Well," Mewtwo said, "this looks like a very bloody murder all right. Someone had fun with this piece of trash."

"I agree," Samus said shortly, kneeling down to further inspect the body. "Looks like he was stabbed to death."

"With a... knife?" Ness gulped.

"Yes, Ness, with a knife" Samus stated, unable to prevent her sarcasm from exiting. "The blade is definitely too small to be that of a sword, and you can tell from the impact of the weapon that you would have to be grabbing the sword by the blade if you wanted to achieve these kind of wounds." Her hands grazed over the corpse in order to demonstrate, making Zelda wince and Ness swallow his breakfast again.

"Could it be that one of us smashers killed Falco?" Zelda considered.

"Anything's possible." Samus gazed at Falco's torn up chest. "Ugh… He was stabbed brutally here."

"He was. I can't find any trace of footprints," Mewtwo said. "But the closet is opened."

"Does that prove anything?" Zelda asked scrutinously.

"Guys, this green goo stuff is really weird," Ness noticed, sticking his pinky finger into the substance. Mewtwo turned his head to take notice to what the other psychic was examining.

"Hm. Strange." He went towards the doorway with Ness. The two psychics stared at it for a while.

"It was used to jam the door shut," Ness said. Mewtwo nodded in agreement, and included, "So he couldn't make an escape if he tried."

Zelda scanned the room once more. "Oh..." she said on her breath as she picked up his blaster, examining it carefully. "Look at this." Everyone turned their heads toward Zelda, who was holding what used to be Falco's weapon.

"He must have been armed at the time," Samus said.

Zelda set the blaster down next to the body of Falco cautiously, getting adjusted to the sickly stench of decaying body. "So... we're hopefully done, I take it?"

"Not sure," Samus told her. "Anything else we can find? This doesn't offer enough for my satisfaction, I'll tell you right now."

"Apart from the blood splattered everywhere, no," Ness said. "Ugh, I don't like looking at this..."

"Neither do I," Zelda murmured sadly. Master Hand entered the room, inspecting the work they were doing.

"Find anything?" He inquired curiously.

"Well, he was brutally stabbed to death, and his chest practically butchered," Samus announced to the giant hand. "He was also armed at the time, but somehow it was knocked out of his grasp before he could get the chance to shoot. And the green goo is some sort of thing to hold the door shut so he couldn't make an escape if he even managed to get away; an extra measure. He really wanted this guy dead."

"Hm," Master Hand said thoughtfully. "Well... I've decided to continue the tournament. It was just one murder. Besides, it couldn't change too much, could it? The tournament shall continue tomorrow, July 17th. Better get the body to Dr. Mario now. He's waiting in the hospital wing. Wrap him up in those old bedsheets, and we'll get him there. In fact, I guess I'll have to carry him to make the trip easier... Ugh, nasty. I'll never want to think of fried chicken again."

Fox, behind the doorway, leered at the wall in front of him, remaining out of sight in order to quench his curiosity. His teeth clenched out of the ridiculous pain dealt to his heart, then he went through another denial trip before he took his leave, not wanting anyone to see that he was this concerned. _Right through the heart, huh? Not sure that's the way he would have liked to go. _Swallowing his misery, he slinked away once more, this time for good.

The 4 smashers carefully wrapped up their old friend Falco with some difficulty and handed him to Master Hand, who appeared as disgruntled as a floating hand could be.

"Thank you for your work," he said before hovering off to the hospital wing.

Upstairs was the hospital wing. It was the highest floor, the 4th. Dr. Mario sometimes worked there, and, just as Master Hand thought, he was sitting there, scribbling something down on a notepad.

"Yes, Mr. Hand?" Dr. Mario murmured busily. He was the same person as Mario, but there were times it seemed Mario would change his identity into something completely different, and he had enlisted Dr. Mario into the list of smashers, probably just for another opportunity to fight, some suspected.

"I've got the… uh, patient ready, Dr. Mario." Master Hand set the bundle of bedsheets on top of the silver table, and the sheets rolled off of him as he was set down. Dr. Mario stared at the body, stunned for a second. Silently, he pushed his chair back, got up, and made his way towards the examination table.

"May I ask of you to leave?" the doctor asked kindly.

"Well, sure, I guess. If I have to... fine." Master Hand slowly exit through the door of the hospital wing, without forgetting to shut the door on his way out.

About a half an hour later, Master Hand arrived back at the hospital wing, with Crazy Hand by his side. He decided that it was important for his brother to learn the news too. "Anything new?" the gloved hand asked.

The doctor looked up at the visitor. He had been taking a long stare into the victim's bloody chest, and was surprised to see Master Hand floating there at the doorway. "Uh, I think-a so. I know that-a his chest was also cut like a saw does to a tree," Dr. Mario reported.

"M-hm," Master Hand said, ignoring his brother's little crazy dance of the day. "Anything else suspicious we should know about?"

"Not really. All I found out was that he was-a brutally murdered, and was in deep shock when he died."

"Who could have done this?" Master Hand questioned in disbelief. "Who would have anything against Falco enough to kill him like this?"

"Hee! I don't know either!" Crazy Hand shouted, going insane once again. Master Hand sighed.

"Crazy, stop. Anyway, just wrap the body up again and hide it in this room somewhere. No one needs to see it. There is nothing we can do but feel sorry for Falco." Dr. Mario nodded, and went on with his work.

Meanwhile, in Kirby's room, a conversation was beginning.

"Really, Yoshi, what did he look like?" Pikachu asked. Yoshi, Pikachu, Kirby and Jigglypuff were all bunched inside the pink star warrior's room. They were all his friends, Jigglypuff being his brand new girlfriend. Some people would find it hard for two pink puffballs to have any type of relationship, one being a Pokemon.

"He looked petrified," Yoshi said, his black eyes wide and voice on edge. "I have never seen a dead person in my entire life until now. He was really dead!"

"Was there blood?" Jigglypuff asked curiously. She was situated on the edge of Kirby's bed.

"Whaddya think? He was stabbed to death. Of course there was blood!" Yoshi exclaimed.

"Even if we were allowed in Falco's room right now, I wouldn't dare go in there," Jigglypuff said, slightly shuddering at the thought.

"Who would do such a thing like that?" Kirby asked, not expecting an answer. "Who'd want to kill Falco?"

"Good question," Pikachu replied. "It's not like anyone here hates Falco that much to sneak into his room one night and kill him." The yellow rodent sat up from his laying down position.

"Well, DK did want to win the tournament kind of badly," Kirby mentioned in his squaky voice.

"So maybe since he was defeated by Falco, he wanted a taste of revenge!" Jigglypuff squealed.

"Could be," Yoshi said thoughtfully. "But would DK actually be smart enough to grab a knife and stab somebody like that?"

""Well, DK has enough brain cells to do THAT," Kirby said.

"But the green goo," Yoshi said. "Where could he have gotten that?"

"Maybe monkeys produce it?" Jigglypuff suggested.

"Jigglypuff, You're such an idiot!" Yoshi laughed. "First of all, monkeys don't produce it, and second, he's not a monkey, he's an ape!"

Jigglypuff pouted, while Kirby gave Yoshi a glare. "I'm just learning about your kinds of creatures, give me a break!" she said, slightly annoyed.

"What if he produced it out of his nose?" Pikachu joked.

"Nah," Yoshi said, chuckling.

"Good thing it didn't cancel the tournament," Kirby said. "I am so close to winning!"

"Meh, I dropped out last match," Yoshi said downheartedly.

"You mean you lost?" Pikachu asked.

"Yeah. To Ganondorf."

"Me too. I lost to Young Link."

Jigglypuff smiled widely. "I'm still in the tournament!"

"Really?" Pikachu and Yoshi piped in unison.

"Yup. I won against Peach." She grinned proudly, slightly puffing up.

"And I doubted you, too!" Yoshi claimed. Once again Kirby stared him down. He hopped up onto the bed, next to Jigglypuff.

"I'm disappointed," Pikachu said. "I lost to a child."

"Well, that Young Link isn't a challenge to fool around with," Kirby said, placing a short arm around Jigglypuff. "He's not easy to defeat. Besides, what are you talking about… you're a mouse!"

"Ganondorf is brutal!" Yoshi cut in. "He comes at you with strong, purple-possessed punches! Ow." Yoshi rubbed his cheek, remembering the pain of one that happened to land there. Hard. "I'm thankful he doesn't use his sword… that thing is a beast."

"Oh well, it's not that big of a deal to lose anyway, is it?" Jigglypuff reassured.

Outside the closed door of Kirby's room, the sounds of Roy's wrathful voice echoed the hallway of 1B. (It's pretty weird. I'll explain later.)

"I SWEAR TO GOD, GIVE ME MY SWORD OR I'LL SEE TO IT THAT ALL FOUR OF YOU NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY AGAIN!!" he hollered. The giggles of the 4 young smashers were also heard along with Roy's constant screaming.

"You'll never be able to catch us!" Young Link taunted between fits of laughter. Roy was running out of energy as he tried to grasp one of the kids so that he could strangle one unconscious. He nearly missed grabbing Popo's right arm, but tripped and fell flat on his face. The four little troublemakers stopped to point and laugh at him, then made their way across the hall, down the carpeted stairs. Roy slowly and shakily got up to his feet, his face red hot with anger and pure annoyance.

"I'll get those brats back," he fumed, balling his hands into fists. He heard the sound of footsteps behind him, and turned his head to see who or what it was. It was none other than Marth, approaching him with a look of question.

"Roy, what's up with you? You look like a tomato gone bad, especially with that red hair of yours," Marth commented. Roy calmed down a little, despite the comment. "Very funny, Marth. Ha, ha, ha ha." Marth chuckled at Roy's irritable behavior, and folded his arms. "So why are you turning the color of Heinz ketchup?"

"Those little rats jacked my sword," Roy huffed. "And I'm gonna get it back."

"What rats?" Marth asked, picturing either Pikachu and Pichu or some other little smasher who was no taller than 3 feet.

"You know who I'm talking about!"

"No... not really."

"Mini Link and his little friends!" Roy snapped.

"Wow, Roy… you don't have to be so pissy and rude."

"I'm not!"

Marth laughed at the way the younger swordsman was acting. "Roy, you're so immature sometimes, it cracks me up."

Roy glared lasers at Marth. "Shut up!"

Marth snickered his last, and patted Roy on the back. "I'll help you get your sword back from those little kids. Don't worry, it won't be too hard. You'll even get revenge somehow."

Roy's eyes lit up at the sound of 'revenge.' "Okay!" The two of them left the blue carpeted hallway to go down the stairs to where the 4 children had left two minutes ago. The smashers in Kirby's room just shrugged it off and considered it normal.

The Great Hall was awfully quiet at the moment. It was afternoon, about 2 PM. The lights from the four long, tall windows that you could see vividly out of dimly beamed onto the linoleum white floors, and displayed a dark shadow slowly making it's way through the rays of daylight. The shadow of an immortal being. It almost seemed like a ghost of some sort, lightly flowing across the large windows in the big room, a faded image. It turned its head slowly and called out to someone.

The violet curtains of the stage began to rustle a little. A voice that seemed like it had just recovered from a seizure of mental retardation replied to the first one. "Yes. I am here."

"Good. Why are you hiding behind the curtain?"

"Because I don't want anyone to see me here right now. If anyone finds out I'm talking to you, I'll be done for."

"Why? Are you afraid an inferior smasher will come and attack you, Master? Sounds pretty pathetic." The dark cloaked figure snorted at the thought of weakness.

"That's not it. I just don't want anyone to find out yet."

"Oh."

"Anyway, how did the killing go?"

"It went well. I enjoyed it so much, that I'd be glad to feel the pain of another being destroyed at the hands of me again, and again, and again, for all eternity, actually. Falco's piteous, isn't he?"

"Yes, especially compared to you and me. I can see that you did a good job of hiding all evidence of who it was and leaving no trace of where you went. I knew I could trust you."

"Certainly, my master. And I shall do it again tonight. Who must I kill now? Please tell me quickly."

"Come here, and I'll tell you."

For the most part, the day went on normally, except for the fact that Falco wasn't there. For some smashers, it was more difficult and trying. Fox began to show signs of depression, and Pichu, Ness, and Peach became paranoid. The death of everyone's favorite blue falcon was the most talked or thought about topic that day. It was 9:00 PM now, and things were getting more quiet and calm now that most were settling down. An eerie thought if you were still thinking about death.

The Ice Climbers appeared to be playing "freeze" tag with each other outside in the hall of the 3rd floor, in section B. The twins were being extremely loud and irritating to any poor victim who happened to be walking by. Unfortunately for Mewtwo, who was trying his hardest to get to sleep in his room, was right next to the chaos. He opened his eyes wide after hearing a loud hyperactive giggle from Nana.

"That's it, I can't take it anymore," he muttered. "Someone should pen those kids up, or at least send them to the local dog pound." The psychic cat Pokemon unwillingly crawled out of the warm, soft, feathery bed given to him and placed his feet onto the floor. He approached the sounds of the screaming nine year old Eskimos and opened the door. He had to cover his poor ears to escape from the noise. Apparently, he found Nana pinned against the wall by her brother, who had obviously tagged her. They looked up at the intruder with mild, excitable grins.

"Hi Mewtwo!" Popo called out cheerfully as though he had no idea how much the Pokemon wanted to strangle him at the moment.

"Ugh... can't you two keep it down? It's late, and most of us are trying to sleep."

The Ice Climbers thought a moment. They grinned evilly at each other, and both replied, "No!" in unison.

Mewtwo was losing his patience. "Or do I have to shut you up personally?"

"What're you gonna do to shut us up?" Nana remarked. Mewtwo smirked, picked them up with his telekinetic powers, and threw them outside DK's balcony. He hurried over and locked it with his mind before they could scramble back inside. Mewtwo smiled as he watched the helpless duo bang on the glass paned doors without succeeding. Of course, DK was sleeping in a room downstairs, so he wouldn't let them in. They were trapped outside for the night.

"They deserved it," Mewtwo concluded as he went back into his own room and fell asleep without disturbance.

In about an hour, everyone seemed to be asleep. Nothing was stirring, no sound was made. Except for one...

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Anyway, about the hallways. Downstairs, nobody sleeps there except for Master Hand and Crazy Hand. No, they don't sleep together, idiots. And the next floor up is the 2nd floor, and hallway 1A is the first set. It contains the rooms of Luigi, Mario, Zelda, Fox, Link, Marth, and Roy. 2B is the next hallway on that floor. It contains the rooms of Falco, Bowser, Pikachu, Peach, Yoshi, and Kirby. The next floor up (2A) contains that of Young Link, Captain Falcon, Ness, Samus, the Ice Climbers (who share a room), and Mr. Game and Watch. 2B has Jigglypuff, Pichu, Mewtwo, Ganondorf, Dr. Mario, and Donkey Kong.


	3. Another Vanishes

Pichu had to be reassured by Pikachu and a few others at least 50 times tonight that he wasn't going to be killed off like Falco. Now he was shuddering in the corner of his room, which was tremendously big for the tiny mouse Pokemon. It was just as large as other rooms used for sleeping and staying in, but for someone Pichu's size, he could practically LIVE in there. Pichu could never get bored exploring the depths of his room. Sometimes, he even hid pieces of food here and there for himself to snack on when he was hungry and didn't feel like leaving his space. The bed, which was supplied even before Pichu had eventually come to live in here, was also much too big for him. Nonetheless, he slept in it, but made a soft nest of pillows and blankets in the center. It was all good for him.

Pichu was very afraid of the dark. Usually he slept with a nightlight, but recently, tonight of all nights, it had gone out. Since there were no new light bulbs in convenience around the mansion at the moment, Peach, who had put him to bed this night, had told him that he would be just fine for only one night. And since Pichu had absolutely no windows in his room at all and no other lamps, it was pitch black. This left the tiny mouse scared in a corner of his room, closest to the door.

"I w-wish Pikachu was here," he squeaked, curled up in a ball of electric yellow fur. The emptiness scared him, his voice echoing in reply to him. Especially tonight, since Pichu was certain that there was a murderer lurking around in the shadows, just ready to lunge out for him. Closing his eyes didn't even help right now. "I've got to turn on the lights," he said to himself, trying to break out the eerie silence that haunted him. "I don't wanna be turned into a fur coat…" Speaking to himself seemed to calm him down, make him feel more courageous.

It guided him to finally arouse from his ball of fear and stretch his muscles, since he hadn't moved them in a while. It seemed as if everywhere in this pitch dark room a monster or zombie was waiting around every corner for him to steal his life. The tiny rodent felt glaciers of chills run up and down his spine at the thought. He tried his best to reassure himself that he was probably imagining things. _'What in the world would want to kill me? Have I done anything so wrong that somebody would just want to dispose of me? Of course not! I'm just fine, there's nothing to worry about.'_ Those were his thoughts as he went scrambled to go turn on the lights. But it was then at that moment that a bonechilling thought escaped into his mind. _The switch was too high for him to reach._

Pichu suddenly stopped in his tracks. A funny smell just reached out and grabbed his nose so abruptly, and played with the receptors that hid deep inside it. Pichu inhaled the rotten smell more deeply, taking in whiffs of it at a time. It appeared to be a mixture of mothballs, dried blood, moldy potatoes, and a dead corpse that's been rotting over for 15 years. Pichu gulped and lay low quivering on the floor. He didn't dare breathe or even move. You couldn't tell, but Pichu's eyes were now bulging with pure terror. The baby mouse was near tears now as he clung to the thick, violet red carpeting of his floor, ducking down real low.

"Oh Piiiiichu," a quiet, deadly voice spoke, bursting through all silence inhabiting the room at the moment. Pichu's ears pricked at the sound of his name being called. "Where are you?" it continued. Pichu had no idea who or what this was, because he had never heard this stranger's voice before in his entire life, except maybe in a horror movie. '_Someone is out to get me,_' he thought nervously. The little Pokemon began to cry silently, clutching on harder to the thick carpeting. The soft, light footsteps could be heard rummaging through his living space, searching for the smallest smasher. At the same time, Pichu's pulse began to quicken as well.

They got closer. Thump. Thump. Thump. Pichu couldn't help but utter out a whimper, signaling to the intruder that Pichu was located near his own two feet. In one fell swoop he grabbed the trembling baby mouse, who squealed in fright, struggling to get free of the grasp he was held in. A laugh was heard.

"So I found you at last. Heh, I have to admit you're better at hiding than Falco ever was. You got spunk. Too bad it was wasted on someone who won't be with us for very long…."

Pichu gasped hard and defended himself with a jolt of electricity. Another chilly laugh rose out of the bad man's mouth.

"You insolent fool, I'm practically invincible! Nothing can hurt me." Bony, clammy fingers took a firm hold of Pichu's head and grasped it tightly. With a single twist, he snapped Pichu's neck backwards, a satisfying crack filling the air. In a split second, Pichu was no more. The killer dropped the body like a sack of potatoes, laughing coldly. He was sure that no one heard anything that happened in the room that night, and he left as silently as possible, unseen.

And he was right. It wasn't until next morning that Pichu was discovered.

Zelda screamed, placing both hands over her mouth in shock, eyes widened like the glass eyes of a very freaky doll. She was NOT used to seeing dead rats on the floor, and this was no exception. The reason she had even tried entering this room in the first place was due to the fact that Jigglypuff had sent her up here. Jigglypuff was supposed to be watching Pichu closely today and at the moment the pink balloon Pokemon was too busy at the moment helping Donkey Kong with one of his own problems. (Let's just say the toilet water rushing down the drain had interested him, and you can guess what happened then…) So who else to ask but Zelda, the one nearest to her who wasn't occupied with something herself? And so now, here Zelda finds little Pichu, deader than Kurt Cobain, his head wrenched backwards completely so that it looked as if he could walk backwards, with his face turned towards the appropriate direction he was headed.

But he could not. He was apparently gone now, and Zelda was speechless. She had seen Falco the other day, in an even worse condition than he was, but it was still a terrible sight to behold. She took a few steps backward, paralyzed with fear, knowing that there is, of course, a murderer lurking around. She then took off quickly down the hall, almost reaching the stairs to find someone to tell, anywhere, anyone.

She never reached them in time, or did she? That was probably because Marth was making his way up the stairs, and since it wasn't easy to look while running, she collided with the blue haired prince, making them both fall backwards, or, in Zelda's case, forwards. They screamed and shouted in surprise as they tumbled down the stairs together, not able to think straight. At last, after the incident, Zelda found herself positioned on top of Marth, staring directly into his cobalt blue eyes, which were full of shock. Immediately, she gasped and pulled away. "I am so sorry, Marth!" she apologized in a rush. "I just wasn't watching where I was going!"

Marth, who was just about as equally surprised as she was, stared back at the princess of Hyrule, who was leaning back on her hands, her eyes on him as well. Giving her a little smile after wiping the mortification off, he replied, "That's fine." He began to rise to his feet again, and offered a hand to help Zelda up. She blinked up at him, and shyly took it, being pulled up to her feet again.

Brushing her pretty Hylian dress off, she said, "Thank you."

"It's no problem," Marth replied, still smiling. "I should be the one apologizing… by the way, I couldn't help noticing how much of a rush you were in. Is there something wrong?" His eyes changed into windows of concern.

Zelda froze. She remembered what dreadful spectacle she had just witnessed back in Pichu's room, and that had caused her to dart away from the scene, running into Marth along the way, and making them roll down the stairs together. It was embarrassing to the princess in a way, but she could imagine Marth feeling the same way. After all, he did look kind of like a princess himself, being so effeminate and everything… "Well… You see, it's just that..." She tried to find the best words to tell him. Marth looked at her with interest, listening fully to what she had to say to him. Zelda continued. "You wouldn't believe what I saw. Falco isn't the only one being murdered around here."

Marth's smile disappeared instantly, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Who? You've got to tell me."

"Of course." She sighed. "Upstairs, in Pichu's room, he was… dead. There was no blood or anything, but… ah, you'll see yourself." She grabbed hold of the Altean prince's hand and hurried up the stairs towards the hall in which a second murder had taken place. It wasn't long before they reached the doorway of Pichu's area, and Marth truly saw for himself. There lay the lifeless body of little Pichu, his neck snapped all the way. Now his head was forced facing upward, while he lay on his stomach.

"Wow," Marth whispered, still in disbelief. "I guess there is really a murderer, and he hasn't been through yet." He looked up at Zelda, who wasn't looking back. Sometimes this princess made him a little jittery, and he wasn't sure why. She was a good looking girl, who moved with grace even while fighting, no, especially while fighting. The princess of Hyrule. He could see why Link liked her so much. He kept his puzzling feelings to himself; nobody knew about these ones. Zelda finally eyed him once again, and said affirmitively, "I hate death. I really do."

Marth nodded as if he understood. Death wasn't really taken much notice by him. He had a feeling it might slip into his life again somehow, now that these things occurred, especially in a tournament where one was expected to brutalize their opponent. "So, I think we should report this to Master Hand as well. That has to be the first important step." He folded his arms after he said that, and took a pace backwards to even out his balance a little. Zelda nodded.

"I think we should show him the evidence as well," Zelda suggested. "That way, it would save him the trouble of having to come up here and check it out himself. But really, I don't think I'd like to be the one carrying him…." Zelda's face transformed into a disgusted expression. Marth raised his hand slightly and offered to do it for her. She agreed gratefully, and after trudging into the room, Marth brought the deformed body of the young Pokemon. Pichu, being the lightest smasher of all, was no burden whatsoever to them, and they managed to get downstairs to Master Hand's door, thankfully without anyone viewing the dead body.

Zelda approached the glossy wooden door of Master Hand's, and rapped on it three times. No answer. She attempted again, only harder and more times than before, until the two heard a reply. "What is it? You better not be younger than fourteen," he groaned irately.

Marth, who was wondering what the heck Master Hand was talking about, replied, "No, it's just Marth and Zelda. We have something to show you that's important."

"What about?" the hand huffed.

The prince cleared his throat. "Another murder occurred, unfortunately, last night."

In the blink of an eye the door hurtled open. The giant severed body part appeared in front of them both, and even though he had no face to show expressions with, you could tell he was astonished and fascinated, plainly by his eccentric movements and the tone of his celestial voice. "What!? Who was it this time?"

"Maybe this will answer your question," Marth said, presenting the limp body of Pichu. "His neck was snapped all the way."

"Then I come later to see him in front of the doorway, dead," Zelda added, enthusiasm in her voice. "It was horrid. Then, I happened to run into Marth here, and I told him what I found. That's when he recommended we show you what happened. Someone killed him, Master Hand. He didn't die on his own."

Master Hand seemed to be taking this in as she told him. "I can tell. Well, I'm going to have to think about this for a while. I'm not going to announce it to everyone like last time, because I'm sure gossip will take it's toll. I'm now very concerned about everyone's safety here. I'm afraid I may just be forced to cancel the tournament. Who knows what could happen?" The hand paused before also noting, "I mean, Pichu is one thing, and despite his small size and pipsqueak weight, he has the capability to defend himself. Falco definitely; I had high hopes for him. Yeah, I'm definitely going to put this tournament on hold."

"You're right," Marth agreed. "I'd rather live another day than win a tournament any time. Come on, Zelda. We need to tell more people about this incident. I'm concerned about everyone's safety." Staring at the dead body of Pichu, he held it up. "What do I do with this?" he asked.

"Here, just take it to my room and place it somewhere. It's starting to stink. I'll find something to do with him." Marth obeyed. "You guys have done well. Thanks." Zelda grinned, telling him it was nothing.

When Marth appeared, he smiled bashfully at Zelda's face, and took her hand, leading her away from the door of Master Hand's. It was soon shut abruptly.

Zelda was lightly blushing. Could it be possible that Marth actually liked her more than a friend? Or was he just showing courtesy? She looked at the firm face of the prince; his eyes seemed to glisten with dots of stars when the time was right. The somber expression he usually wore when he meant business in battle always hid away his true feelings. His soft pink lips were drawn in a perfect line across his mouth. Zelda felt that she was getting attracted to Marth. Sure, she also had a slight crush on Link, the hero who saved her from the clutches of Ganon, but they never shared a relationship like that, just close friendship. Marth was her friend too, just not as close, as well as Roy. Peach and Samus were her new friends too, except at times Peach could be too annoying and Samus too bossy. Zelda still was much too shy at the moment to speak.

Little did she know, but it was pretty much true. Marth had developed a little crush on Zelda as well. He was beginning to like her more and more, her beautiful dazzling eyes made of blue crystal, her golden hair, especially when it was glowing in the light, and her lovely smile. But he doubted she would ever accept him, and he was also beginning to deny his feelings having thought similar ideas before about other people, so he kept his mouth shut.

Afterwards, pretty much everyone knew about Pichu's sudden death, and many panicked more than ever now. There wasn't just one death, but TWO.

"Two deaths!?" Young Link exclaimed to Link. The two of them were downstairs in a room that was mainly just for entertainment purposes and such. Link was originally flipping channels on the TV, finding nothing amusing at all, but really, it was to keep the belief of deaths to come out of his mind. Roy was with him, apparently just as bored. Link had just finished telling his younger form what happened last night, since Young Link continued to bug him about "Having a secret you weren't telling me." At the moment the younger Link's eyes were wide with amazement.

"Yes, mini-me. Now will you stop bothering us?" Link pleaded, although he knew he most likely had to do more than just simply asking the little Hylian nicely to leave them alone. Young Link frowned, placing his hands on his hips, a usual pose for him.

"Why? Can't I be around you guys? I'm just as bored as both of you, and… we can all be bored together!" His eyes looked hopeful, leaning close into Roy's face, who pressed him away instantly. There was something noticeable about Young Link's hair.

"No," Roy stated clearly. "Sorry, but you're really getting on my nerves."

Young Link pouted a little, then retorted, "Why?"

Link sighed and shook his head. He knew his younger form always wanted to hang around him, seeing as he looked up to him like a younger sibling. It was obvious why he wanted to stay, but at the moment Link didn't want him to bug them, as he was sometimes a little pest, trying to get attention. But at times he could be more collected with himself. He was still young.

"We just don't want you to be around, okay?" Link said. "Not right now. What if they need your help with the murder cases or something? Maybe you can help them with that." Link knew this was a lie, and it was just to get Young Link occupied with something else. It was worth a shot.

"Great idea!" Young Link shouted, clapping his hands together once. His face had determination written all over it, but his hair… it looked more appropriate to be worn on Paris Hilton's chihuaha. "I'm going to find out who is behind all this, and I will have the help of some assistances! Wanna come?"

"No thanks. We're not the detective type," Roy said, playing along yet trying to keep himself from spilling a laugh.

The small elf made his way to the door. "I'm gonna figure this out. So ha!" Link and Roy simply raised an eyebrow at little Link and Roy chuckled. "Good luck, squirt. You'll need it."

"Stop calling me squirt, tomato hair!" Young Link demanded, pointing a finger and scowling heavily. He exited the room, not hesitating to slam the door as a fake effect of sheer rage. Right after the tomato hair comment, Link and Roy were laughing wildly like donkeys high on drugs.

"And he calls me tomato hair!" Roy howled through fits of laughter.

Link was lying on the couch, uncontrollable to his own body. He was gasping for air and laughing really hard, trying to tone down his smile. "He c-calls you tomato hair. What about double bubble?" That set them off again.

"I can't believe he didn't realize what I did to his hair yet!" Roy choked. He pulled out a pink hairspray bottle. In red letters it read: "WARNING: Hard to get out." The two of them continued to laugh until they were nearly the color in which Young Link would have rights to call them rutabaga faces. In the middle of the night, Roy had snuck into Young Link's room last night and died his hair pink. Surprisingly, the little Hylian slept like a baby and never woke up. It was Roy's "revenge." He had also gotten his sword back successfuly as well.

Everyone also seemed to be avoiding each other. Who knows? Your best friend could possibly be the murderer. Fox was highly beginning to suspect Yoshi for the death of his friend. One time, they happened to be in the commons at the same moment. Fox glared at the green dinosaur, the look of sheer cold in his eyes. Yoshi began to notice Fox's awkwardness, and felt edgy because of the way the pilot would stare at him. Finally, Fox spoke to him.

"You did it. I know you did." His voice was in a low, hushed whisper, more of a growl than anything. Yoshi snapped to attention, and merely stared at Fox in confusion, disliking the way he was talking to him and coming gradually closer, never keeping his eyes off him like a lion stalking its prey.

"Did what?" Yoshi had an idea of what he meant, but he tried to display innocence.

"Kill Falco." His gray-blue eyes narrowed now, and his pace quickened.

"No I didn't!" Yoshi countered. "Why would I want to kill Falco?"

"I don't know. Why did you? I wouldn't expect someone as puny and happy as you to pull something like that, but anything's possible." He had taken Samus' statement and applied them to this encounter, pinning the green dinosaur down with his eyes.

Yoshi was beginning to get aggravated by Fox's attitude. How would he ever convince him that it was not him who killed Falco, or even Pichu. Placing his dinosaur hands on his hips, he replied, "I didn't kill him. That's final."

Fox could not hold it in much longer. He let all his intense, smushed feelings explode in Yoshi's face. "Then why was it YOU who had to come up to Master Hand and inform him? You were trying to cover up, weren't you? You are a filthy, fucking suck-up who has no integrity at all! A dirty murderer! That's what you are! You try and hide behind that innocent interior, but I know well that anybody could be hiding dark secrets behind a fake mask. I'm pretty damn sure!" Fox's face grew hot with fury as he spat insults and accusations at Yoshi, finger pointed at him like a gun.

Yoshi was startled really badly at his sudden behavior. Maybe Fox was more depressed than he thought. He was fairly certain that there had to be another factor aside from depression that would cause these outbursts. Nonetheless, Yoshi was a little hurt that Fox suspected him, who truly wouldn't have the heart to do something that cruel. "Fox, wait, I-"

"So I take it you're going to confess now, aren't you?"

"No, that's not it. I really didn't do anything."

"I can't believe you," Fox growled. He was dangerously close now, looking as if he were to beat Yoshi into a pulp when given a fleeting opportunity. Yoshi gulped, and prepared to fight back in self defense, or at least shrink away in fear. Luckily for him, though, Samus appeared to be walking by at the moment. She glanced a the commotion Fox was making near one of the tables to the left side of the commons. She noted that Fox was pissed as hell and that Yoshi was fearful and confused. Fox looked like he was going to launch an attack onto the gecko-like victim. Samus acted quickly by using her grappling beam to pull Fox towards her.

"What's the matter with you?" Samus questioned, appalled. "I wouldn't expect you to go ballistic on the poor guy; surely you need more evidence than that to prove him guilty!" Fox, who was shocked senseless by what had just happened to him, simply stared at Samus, who was in her chozo suit at the moment.

"I'm very certain," Fox began, "that murderer over there killed Falco and Pichu," Fox accused, pointing to a blameless looking Yoshi. Samus considered this quietly for a moment. Then she inquired, "What makes you think that Yoshi was the murderer?"

"Well, it's pretty obvious. HE was the one who told Master Hand about Falco's death, which shows he was probably trying to cover for himself to make it look like he didn't do it. He shouldn't be up in the middle of the night, anyway. WHY he would want to do something like that is beyond me; this is Yoshi we're talking about." Fox finished and closed his eyes.

Samus sighed. Fox had gone too far. Now he was accusing people for killing Falco. Then again, it was understandable that Fox was acting like this, because already he has lost several loved ones in his lifetime, including his father. "There's no proof to say Yoshi committed the crime, but it's still a possibility." Samus glanced at Yoshi, who was also looking straight back at the two of them, rooting silently for Samus to do justice. "I see how you feel, Fox, but there's no need for this." Tears trickled down Fox's furry face, and he tried to look away. "You're right," he said, defeated. "I'm just… foolishly overreacting. But I still think that Yoshi did it. I'm keeping my eyes on him." Fox turned his head from the two of them, and sped off, not wanting to be looked at or talked to. This was the time Samus took to really see Yoshi. He was puzzled deeply, staring at the bounty hunter still, relieved that Fox was out of his face. Samus talked to him. "So, did he manage to hurt you physically?" she asked.

"No, but he was about to," Yoshi replied in his unusual high-pitched voice. "I see why he accused me, because who knows? It's possible I would be covering up for myself. Not that I am or anything."

Samus deeply considered this too. It was even more possible that Yoshi was the murderer, although Yoshi didn't seem like the type that would do something so malicious. Still, Fox's hypothesis was accurate, and now Samus was even starting to believe it. With one last glance at Yoshi, she waved, then went back to whatever she was doing.

Yoshi sighed softly. Maybe he shouldn't have told Master Hand. Look at the position he was placed into now. Yoshi didn't want to be a suspect at all. It would make life less friendlier, less peaceful for him. It would also be lonely. He prayed deep down inside that maybe, just maybe, Fox wouldn't tell anyone else his suspicion.

But what were the chances of that, anyway?


	4. Disappearing Act

Yoshi was wrong. Fox decided to show more than at least five smashers his conclusion, and even Master Hand himself, who took this to thought. The supernatural being remembered the morning in which Yoshi came plummeting into his room, where he himself had forgotten to lock. Y oshi appeared fearful, however, and the green dinosaur had begun to cry at the location of the death scene. I t didn't seem all that liable that Yoshi killed Falco, and maybe even Pichu, but there was a chance he would. The massive dismembered hand decided to talk this over with Crazy Hand, who seemed to be sane enough at the moment.

"Fox has a suspicion, Crazy," Master Hand told his brother. "He thinks that Yoshi could have possibly murdered Falco and even Pichu, perhaps. What do you think?"

Crazy hand balled up unexpectedly into a fist. Then, he slammed himself onto the ground and bellowed, "All your chocolate are belong to us!" Master Hand, if he had eyes they would be bulging out of their sockets right now.

"Crazy, I'm serious," Master Hand said as calmly as he could. "What's your input?" Crazy Hand slowly got up from his small insane breakdown. "I think Yoshi did do it!"

Master Hand felt as if he were dealing with a special ed kid. "Do you really think so?" He said that in an I-doubt-you-are-really-serious tone of voice.

"Of course! He just wants to cover himself up!" At least that made sense. Crazy Hand was busy rapidly wiggling his fingers around in amusement.

"Cover himself up, eh? That's what I've been thinking too. Maybe Yoshi really did murder those two." Crazy Hand wriggled around excitedly in agreement. Then again, it seemed his brother was most likely screwing around. Master Hand felt exceedibngly confused. Of course, he usually felt that way around Crazy Hand. He didn't know what theory to believe, really. It would be wrong to punish Yoshi for doing something he never actually did, but how should he know if Yoshi really did do something? Master Hand was situated away from the door, in a private corner of the room, thinking this over quietly to himself. Maybe Yoshi did murder Falco and Pichu, but covered himself by coming in first and telling about the nasty occurrence. Then again, he looked as devastated as hell when he came in, but he could possibly be covering up for that as well. Was he just a good actor? Otherwise, it did seem obvious that Yoshi's type would be quite squeamish killing someone, so no wonder he looked so frightened. It was hard to decide what to do about this situation, but to maybe keep a close eye on Yoshi. He seemed innocent, but looks can be deceiving.

Word spread like wildfire. Everyone seemed to be avoiding Yoshi, even his own best friends, although they did that only to a certain degree. Yoshi himself was very aware of this, and deep down in his heart it stung like a snakebite gone to the neck. He would also try avoiding the suspicious, slightly fearful glances of the others by staying lodged in his room the majority of the day. He definitely tried to hide from Fox, because it seemed as if he could actually hurt him physically this time, for there was something wrong with that Arwing pilot. If he could, he probably would. The further away from him, the better.

When the air had cooled, the sky had darkened and the summertime crickets had come out to sing in their chorus of chirps, the place was quite at peace and comfort. A few people were staying up, watching movies or having an evening snack, something along those lines. The younger ones were fast asleep in their warm beds, and the older ones appeared to be able to stay up longer, although some found it best to get some shut-eye.

Zelda, Roy, Peach, Marth, and Link were all situated in Zelda's room, or out in her balcony. Half of the smashers had balconies on the outside of their rooms, where you could simply open the glass doors and step out to get some fresh air. Only Zelda, Luigi, Mario, Yoshi, Kirby, Young Link, Captain Falcon, the Ice Climbers, and Donkey Kong who had one. Zelda was looking over hers, gazing at the shadows of the landscape. The fountain out in front was very beautiful at night, it's water flowing downwards into a pool of liquid, trying to keep still but yet disturbed by the merciless cascade of water. The moon was merely a crescent, barely even there among the partly cloudy sky, stars danced along the bluish-black eternity alongside it. Her head lay softly on the edge of her balcony. She listened to the crickets call, the owl hoot, and Marth, Link and Roy having a shameless pillow fight in her room while Peach spectated, laughing at their foolishness and childish behavior. It always made Zelda smile at how immature they could be, and even her, the princess of Hyrule, could act like them sometimes, though she tried her best to remain ladylike, as she was brought up to be.

"I got Link in the head!" Roy's voice echoed. "That's three points for me!"

"You hit Peach!" came the scolding sound of Marth's voice. "That's MINUS three points!"

After hearing Peach giggle, she smiled to herself and let out a small laugh on her breath. Those three. They just wanted some attention, either that or they were merely playing around. Whatever it was, they were having fun. After a while, she felt a tiny poke on her shoulder. It was Peach.

"I don't know about you, but I'm hitting the sack," Peach told her with a slight yawn. "I'm getting awfully tired, and it's pretty late, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Zelda replied, turning around to see the spunky princess. "Okay, Peach. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, see you in the morning," she whispered, and turned away, leaving her and the three swordsmen behind.

A minute later she opened her eyes in surprise. A soft, fluffy object had just hit her in the back of the head. Zelda turned around to see Marth, Link and Roy staring at her, frozen.

"Oh, great Marth, NICE aim," Roy observed sarcastically. "You just hit the princess! To think you just got after me for hitting a girl too! Minus ten points!" Zelda laughed lightly and picked up the pillow off the ground. It was the color white, with a triforce design embroidered on it. Giving Marth and Roy an evil smile, she held the pillow up in the air, walking towards them slowly.

"AAAAAH!" Roy screamed, hiding behind Marth. "Pillow threat, I'm scared!" They both ran hastily into the room, but it wasn't long before Marth was smacked by the Pillow of Doom. He faked a gasp of remorse, then writhed on the floor, coughing but unable to hide the smile. Zelda couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Roy… Go on… without me…" Marth sputtered. Roy turned, and seeing his friend taken down by Zelda's pillow, sniffled. "NOOOO!" he yelled, and with one glance at Zelda, he took off, racing across the pillow-infested floor. There was nowhere to hide, and within seconds he was face-to-face with not Zelda, but Link, who stopped him dead in his tracks with a pillow of his own. Roy was whacked in the face.

"Ha," Link boasted playfully. "Hitting Roy in the face: five points." Roy whimpered and writhed on the floor dramatically alongside of Marth. Link let out a malicious laugh made of monotone, but was stopped right when a pillow flew across the room and hit him in the chest. He choked, and fell on the floor with the others, drama being erased. He decided to go down fast.

"I can't believe it, she defeated us all!" he gagged. "Zelda automatically wins… two-hundred points." He coughed once more, sort of twitched on the floor, and "died." Zelda was trying her hardest to control a fit of giggles.

All was interrupted when Mario burst into the room without bothering to knock. This caught the attention of the four who were in the room, and they noticed that Mario appeared to be acting strangely. Tears appeared to be trickling down his cheeks, and his breathing was husky. This left uncontrollable questions foaming in everyone's heads.

"Woah , Mario, what happened?" Roy asked immediately, sitting up now.

"I don't-a know," the Italian plumber cried uneasily. "Peach was-a next on the list-a for the killer, though." He took that moment of silence to wipe away some stray tears from his face.

"WHAT!?" all four of them exclaimed in unison, eyes bugging. Mario sniffled, and began to shift his focus to the ground. His regular cheery mood was gone now.

"Yes. But the scene of the crime is very peculiar." Marth, Roy, Link, and Zelda exchanged glances of curiosity and shock, then turned to Mario for more answers. Apparently everyone was frightened. Peach was known to them, their friend.

"Why?" What happened?" Marth anticipated.

"Do you really want-a to see?" Mario sighed.

"Maybe…" Zelda said quietly. "I don't know if I could abide it." Her eyes too were growing glassy.

"I guess… I'll go," Link offered. He gathered himself up to his feet, unsure whether the future sights were necessary or not.

"Maybe we should all go," Marth suggested. "It's only fair. Roy agreed. Sorrow seemed to be taking over their souls the instant they heard the terrible news. They followed Mario over to Peach's room, including Zelda, which wasn't too far away. It was not in the same row, but you'd be able to walk a straight line past Roy's room and into Peach's, which was across from Roy's.

**EARLIER**

Peach walked over to her room slowly, weighed down by her sleepiness. She wanted to sleep in her warm bed right now so that she could wake up in the morning the next day fully energized. When she reached her bedroom and opened the door, she put on her nightclothes, and being as neat as she was, put her clothes away, and placed her crown on the dresser. The princess stretched and gave off a heavy yawn and full stretcch before turning out the lights and climbing into bed. Thoughts of a possible murder came to mind, but soon slipped away as she drifted off to sleep.

This was the cue to a certain somebody beyond the interiors of her closet. Taking off the clothes she had placed on him earlier, obviously not seeing he was there, he coaxed, "Yes… That's it, my dear, sleep soundly, get comfortable. For I fear you may never wake again." The intruder tiptoed out of the closet so as not to wake up the blonde princess.

"To perform this, I must create a barrier around this room, so as to not let any get into other areas of the mansion," he planned to himself. Holding out his hands, a small light appeared out of them. The light shot the walls on all sides, creating a weird ripple that surrounded the room.

"Perfect," he whispered under his breath. With a snap of his fingers a small flame ignited. He approached the curtain on Peach's bed, waited until it was big enough, then crept quietly out of her room, through the door.

"She will never escape," he chuckled. "The fire will spread, and quickly envelope her into the flames. She'll die in her own personal hell. Ah, what a great gift I have been given! To kill people with such grace, so little evidence. I will kill you all one by one!" The form, remembering that smashers were still awake even at this hour, mysteriously disappeared as quickly as a ninja.

Peach awoke suddenly to the smell of smoke. Lazily, she opened her eyes, but instantly woke with a start when she realized what was going on. The smoke was closer than she thought.

Flames burned in several places of her room, licking the walls and devouring the carpet, eating at her bed. Peach coughed and screamed a cry of help. In a hurry she dashed out of her bed, which was beginning to collapse now. A small, painful sensation was tearing at her leg, and she doused the fire by simply lifting her leg and blowing it out. The pain was gone. Beyond terror, she wasted no time to reach the door. Grabbing the knob with both hands she fiddled with the door rapidly, fumbling with her hands desperately to get out. Nothing seemed to work. "Oh my! Help! What could I have possibly done to set a fire in my room? Help!"

The smoke was filling her lungs, and it became hard to breathe. Coughing and wheezing continuously, she pounded furiously at the door with one fist.

"Somebody help me!" she gagged. Peach could feel herself grow dizzy, and gradually weaker. She suddenly could not breathe, and collapsed on the ground. Everything was growing lighter now, and the heat of the flames faded away. Soon, she too was engulfed in flames herself.

**CURRENTLY**

"Prepare-a to be astonished," Mario said, tears forming in his eyes once more. He opened the door slowly, and what the others saw before them was beyond disbelief.

Peach's room was nothing. Nothing but smoldered ashes, soot, and few unidentifiable remains. Mario broke down and sobbed at the loss of the princess he had always rescued, the one he had befriended, and Zelda felt her eyes begin to water once more.

"Holy crap!" Roy declared. He too began to cry silently, stubbornly keeping his mouth clamped shortly after.

"There's… there's nothing left," Link uttered, astonished.

"How do you know Peach isn't downstairs or something?" Zelda inquired defiantly.

Mario brought himself together for a second. He sniffed once, then replied, "Because I… I… I haven't seen her anywhere," he sobbed. Once again, he had another breakdown. The others were much too shocked to offer any support.

"No way!" Marth screamed. "Not Peach!"

"This is too strange, no way in hell could that have happened," Roy whispered.

"Tell Master Hand!" Zelda cried. "We have to!"

"No, not-a yet," Mario spoke up through tears. "He's-a got too much-a to deal with now as it is." The other nodded in agreement.

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep," Zelda whispered.

"Come to think of it, me neither," Roy considered. Mario cleared his throat.

"Don't-a tell anyone else yet, kay?" Mario pleaded.

"Sure, we won't," Link answered somberly. The five of them couldn't seem to look each other in the eye. Princess Peach was gone, and there was no denying it. She was always there to brighten up the mood, and was such a sweet woman. She took care of everyone's problems and was always there to lend a helping hand. Peach was also good at comforting people when they were down. Peach would be missed greatly.

The entire night waned silently, and almost sorrowfully. Although Peach had passed away, Marth and Link had managed to eventually drift asleep, but it was around 4 AM at the time. Right when it hit seven, Zelda hurried to announce the news to Master Hand.

"Sir," she started. Master Hand turned around to face her.

"What?" he grumbled.

"Um, I don't know how to put this, but… last night Peach was murdered as well."

Master Hand was put into even more astonishment. "Then that brings me to one conclusion," he said gravely. "We definitely have a murderer among us. No coincedences."


	5. It Has to be Done

Once again, the news spread quickly among the mansion. After three nights of murder, Master Hand was concerned about the security. He was considering locking all doors and windows at night, or other drastic and plotted measures. Master Hand decided to call everyone into the main hall today.

"Luigi," he called, catching the green-clad plumber as he was wandering off down the stairs. He looked up towards the hand, waiting for what he had to tell him.

"Luigi, I'd really appreciate it if you'd tell everyone to meet in the commons at exactly 12:30. Could you do that for me?" Luigi nodded, and said, "OK, Master Hand. I'll-a tell them to pass it on as well. That-a way more people would get-a the message." He continued on where he was going, obviously somewhere downstairs, maybe to eat something.

"Great," Master Hand concluded. Lately, this had been all that was clouding the great hand's mind. He barely got any sleep as a result. Maybe it would even be best to send everyone back to where they originated from. That way, nobody would be killed off further, and next year, he would have more smashers. He would have to schedule rides, however, and find a date in which to send everyone off. It surely couldn't be scheduled for today, that was for sure. Transportation couldn't be able to arrange everything quick enough, and then they'd also have to get here. He himself supposed that he didn't have to leave, since it was his own mansion in the first place, and the killer should have been sent off by then anyway. Yes, this was the perfect plan to make everyone safe. He didn't like to do it, but it must be done. The tournament was cancelled, anyway.

Later on, the meeting was ready to be held. Coffee, lemonade, and cookies were even available there for small refreshments. The entire room bumbled with the talking and movements of the remaining 22 smashers, all awaiting Master Hand's arrival.

12:30 hit on the clocks, and still he wasn't there. Of course, he came not exactly on time, but close. Once again he was on the stage, and this time, used Crazy Hand up there to clap for everyone's attention. When all was silent except for one stray cough that escaped from Captain Falcon's mouth, Master Hand spoke up.

"As most of you, if not all, know, there has been three, yes, three murders in this mansion. This brings to me that none of us are safe at all here, under any circumstance. I have been considering bringing all of you back to your hometown, area, planet, so forth. Actually, I think you could get back to your own planet by yourself… some of you, anyway. I know you may not want to leave and that this place will be a lot more quiet and less exciting with you gone, but it's for your own safety." He could see Bowser, loud as he was, about to speak up and say something unnecessary, but before that could take place, he stopped him and anyone from interrupting his important announcement with, "I'M NOT FINISHED! No interruptions! You all will have your turn to talk in time. As I was SAYING, I am going to securely lock all doors in this mansion, including the windows."

"But what if the killer IS one of us?" Ganondorf brought up, eyeing Yoshi accusingly.

"Then I advise each and every one of you to lock your own doors securely at night. It's your responsibility, if you want to live. Anyone else have any-" He was once again interrupted, this time by an irritating crunching noise emitted from the back end of the group of smashers. It was none other than Young Link, the energetic young Hylian boy, crunching loudly on his cookie, and then slurping boisterously on his lemonade as well. He then wiped his mouth on his older self's tunic sleeve, receiving a glare from him as he returned back to his "post." Master Hand paused his speech until he was finished. That disruption was obviously on purpose. "Young Link, one more and I will take your refreshment privileges away." The little elf smiled, and put his hand flat against his forehead, acting like a soldier getting orders from a drill sergeant. Master Hand sighed, and continued, ignoring the dying giggles of the Ice Climbers.

"Anything else? It is now your time to talk, people." Glances were exchanged around the room, and small murmurs emitted. Finally, little Nana spoke up.

"When we all go home, and nobody is left here, what about you? What will happen to you? Where will you go?" Master Hand was touched by her concern for his own safety, and if he could, a little smile would crease among his lips. (Coughifhehadanycough).

"By then, I'd suppose the killer wouldn't really want to hang around here anymore with nobody to kill. Either that or he or she would have been sent off already, IF it was one of you. I'm not saying it is, but…" That was where he stopped. The faces that were full of attention were now posted with looks of thought. Finally, Donkey Kong, out of everything, was one to speak. However, he did have a speech problem, being the burly ape he was.

"How we get back to own places we come from?" he inquired in his deep, slow tone. He almost sounded like a stupefied retard. But no hating.

"Yeah, what will our rides be, and when will they get here?" Kirby added.

The great hand lowered more towards the ground, as if he was unsure of something. "Erm… let's see. Your rides will probably be different depending on where you live. We know that some of you inhabit an entirely different galaxy, and so you probably already have your own way out, right? Like Samus." Everyone nodded in agreement and then continued to listen. "And so, some of you will have buses that will take you to the airport. Then, you shall fly off to your destination. I know this is kind of rushed, but I'm guessing they will be here in two to four days. I haven't scheduled it quite yet."

"So, we should probably prepare, right?" Samus questioned.

"It would be a good idea, I guess, but nobody is forcing you to. I think the meeting is over now, unless anyone else has any questions or comments." He waited, seeing all the blank, thoughtful, grieving or fearful faces staring at a random object or wall, or even him. Not one answered him, and so, he floated off the stage in the same fashion as the first dreadful day, when the news of Falco's death had been announced. After that, he wasn't visible to anyone.

A few people, such as Mario, Luigi, Fox, Yoshi, Mewtwo, Ganondorf, and Bowser got up and exited the room quietly, while the rest began to converse among themselves or wander around the huge area, feelings on their minds. There was not one soul in the room who wasn't sad or downhearted in the least bit. The talking was toned down to small murmurs that you couldn't make out if you were standing too far away.

It was obvious that the sudden news of actually leaving the place, leaving all friends from a different land or even a different planet. All the memories here… everyone had gotten accustomed to waking up in this mansion, eating in a large space with lots of other occupants, holding tournaments in various stages, each time your opponent was different, hosting a different strategy as well. Getting used to all the strange predicaments, events, conversations, characters, and all the like. It was just then that you'd realize… you're gonna miss this place pretty badly. It may be nice to go visit home for once and see all your friends or family there, but sometime you will be longing for here.

Kirby wriggled off of his cushioned chair, small as he was, and landed lightly onto the hard, well-cleaned floor, barely making a sound with the exception of a small plunk. He began with a few small steps, being careful to avoid the legs of Captain Falcon's chair as well as DK's, and finally broke free of the several crowding annoyances. The pink puffball found what he was searching for, and rushed as fast as his stubby feet could carry him to the corner of the entire room, where Jigglypuff happened to be perched by Pikachu's side, a heartful, concerning gleam in her big, round aqua eyes. His pace slowed down as she noticed him coming. Kirby blinked, noticeable question in his expression.

Jigglypuff opened her mouth to inform him what the matter was with Pikachu, the gloomy mouse who appeared to be sulking back here, his pointed ears laid flat down on his head, mouth trembling, just simply looking as if something was terribly wrong. "He feels… how do I put this…" the balloon Pokemon thought for a moment. "Mourning and guilt… for Pichu. It's hard to explain." She stared at a permanent ketchup stain on the glazed linoleum floor.

"What?" Kirby complied. "Well…"

"Yeah," Pikachu spoke, his squeaky voice strange and clogged up. "I never thought I'd ever miss him this much." He took a split second to breathe in some fresh air. "Now that I think about it, he was kind of like a brother to me, a younger one I had to look after. I can't believe this, I never actually thought I'd ever care, miss him or feel grief towards Pichu." Tears began to really form under his dark, beady eyes that now shimmered in the light. Kirby and Jigglypuff took all of these words in with silence. It was depressing, hearing the love of another pour out, as if he was confessing to the dead one.

"I guess," Jigglypuff decided, "It takes something to be ripped away from your heart for you to finally wake up and realize… how much… you love them…" Piteous tears rolled off those big mysterious eyes, as she was an emotional Pokemon. Kirby knew Jigglypuff was as right as ever; those words were true. Softly, he stroked the spot behind her ears, forcing her to shift her glance towards him. He smiled, but it was obvious that happy gesture was false.

"So," Kirby added, changing the subject slightly, "did you… hear about the fact that we're leaving?"

Jigglypuff felt a twinge of annoyance at him changing the subject so abruptly, as if he didn't want to go any further into it, but she straightened up and replied, "Of course I did. I would be listening to something this important, wouldn't I?"

"Well, yeah," Kirby said. "I'm sure you would, but you know what this means, don't you?" Kirby frowned, revealing his discomfort. Jigglypuff paused, blinking at least twice, wiping away her fallen tears.

"Yes. I think I do. I wish we didn't have to be so far away from each other." She sniffled a little. "I don't even know when we'll see each other next." Now more tears fell from those big eyes. Jigglypuff really did have a tendency to cry much too easily.

"Well, at least we'll be looking at the same stars," Kirby reassured, his own tears stinging his eyes. The two puffballs embraced in a fuzzy hug, the kind a young girl would simply squee at. Pikachu watched them with no reaction, his mind somewhere else entirely. He needed to go home.

Marth was watching Link, Roy, Zelda, and Samus hold a conversation. Once in a while, he said something too, but his focus was mostly on Zelda. Sure, Young Link would be poking around as well, with the Ice Climbers and Ness sometimes involved, but Marth tried not to care.

"Sad that we will be leaving soon, actually," Zelda had said forlornly, looking at the floor with no interest. She was standing up, her graceful figure sometimes swaying as she talked.

"It is," Link agreed, taking a long look at Roy, then Marth. "We have become friends, and have been friends for quite a while now, and only see or hear from each other while we're here. I've met many, but…"

"And we live so far away from each other," Roy added. "I hardly even see Marth, if ever, and we come from the same world."

"Oh yeah?" Young Link challenged, right behind both Link and Roy. "I have to go back to the past, where I belong." He was smirking in their faces, proving how much harder it would be for him than anyone.

"And that is where you should stay," Link teased, returning the grin.

"So," Roy said, poking him in the cheek, "really, you're actually 17 years of age? Wow, you grew up fast." Samus crossed her arms over her chest.

"Not only that, but you're old enough for a driver's permit. Want to go get one?" She couldn't help but smile at his beaming face. He placed his hands on his hips.

"Well, if I did get one, I don't think there would be many people left in the world." Most everyone laughed at his remark, or simply snickered, like Marth. He noticed that Zelda wasn't laughing either, just smiling, and Samus was as well. Ever since Peach was murdered, he hadn't really talked or ate much. He was sure Zelda, and most likely the others, felt the same way. Of course, Mario, Luigi, probably Yoshi, and maybe even Bowser felt depressed, or at least downhearted. The death of a friend was a big thing… and he might lose more. Marth kept these thoughts to himself, but narrowed his eyes in criticism. _More._

The conversation was fed more with comebacks, opinions, all of the sort. "So, Young Link. If you go seven years in the past, I am only two years old when you get there!" Popo mentioned.

"Me too!" Nana chirped, jumping up excitedly.

"Then that must mean Roy is nine, Marth is ten, Link _is _you, Samus is eleven, Zelda is ten also, and… I'm only six years old," Ness proclaimed. He rested his arms on the back of Link's chair. "Kinda weird when you think about it."

"Wow," Roy said. "I'm younger than string bean!" he chuckled as Young Link hit him playfully, trying to block and dodge his blows.

"Stop calling me string bean!" he complained. "I'll call you tomato-head!"

"Little Link, stop being so… so white!" Roy said in reply. Link laughed at Young Link's confusion. The younger one scowled and said, "Well, you're white too."

"You're whiter than me."

"Nu-uh! You're more of a turnip color."

"Yeah, well I'd call you a green pea, or maybe," he looked at his blonde hair, "a peach!" Peach. The word sent shivers and painful memories through everyone all at once, and everyone became silent. Nothing was heard except for the droning of the other voices around the room. All eyes fell upon each other, mostly Roy, for it was he who reminded them of Peach, their dear friend. After about a minute, Roy whispered hoarsely, "Was it something I said?"

"Duh," Ness replied, rolling his eyes and placing a hand on his chin. Roy gave him a fake evil glare. "Well, of course I knew that."

Samus studied her group of friends, as if trying to remember every detail of them, every strand of hair, every last bit of skin, their smiles, their eyes. Then she said, "Well, I guess I'll be heading upstairs to go… um, pack and stuff, if you know what I mean. I'll probably be leaving tomorrow." She brushed a strand of her blonde hair out of her face. "Sorry about leaving so soon, but I guess the quicker the better."

"You're going already?" Popo exclaimed, gathering himself off of the floor.

"This is sudden, but I guess she can get out of this murder site faster than we can," Zelda said. She approached Samus, and gave her a small but tight hug. "I'm, no, we're gonna miss you." Samus smiled into Zelda's eyes, then laughed.

"You? Miss me?" She grinned some more and nudged Zelda in the ribs jokingly. "I'm gonna be the one who's missing YOU guys. Who else am I going to be with, all alone? It's hard to find company where I come from, what I do… It will be a hassle, but I guess if it's Master Hand's orders, I must leave. Besides, it isn't too safe here. Whoever the murderer is, it's someone, or something, really dangerous. I just don't believe it's any of us." She turned around and started for the exit, but not before looking back at the group, smiling again, and waving. "See you later! I'll be done real soon." With that, she left.

"Good riddance," Link joked. Everyone laughed.

-

"I have them worried, Master," the familiar voice of the killer echoed in the room upstairs, all the way at the 4th floor. "They are all going to leave on any date! Should we stop?"

An even more evil and twisted voice echoed back in the darkened room. "Not at all. Not until everyone is finished off. One by one."

"If we are going one by one, then how are we going to kill all of them in time?"

"Easy. Prevent it."

"Hmm. I see. Well… I guess I'll have to keep them here my way." He chuckled as his plan took shape inside his head.

"So, otherwise I am pleased with your work. I found who I was looking for, to do this job… revenge. I have been searching for awhile, yet I found you. You were closer than I thought. Right here in this mansion." The voice silenced for a while. "Do not kill tonight. If you do, they will rush even further to escape. Just maybe, maybe… it's possible to even convince them to stay for more fun." He blared with coldhearted laughter, while the other followed in. The room was soundproof from anyone else, so nobody could hear the noise. The malevolence that can be held in such people…


	6. Trapped!

Dawn seemed unwilling to rise the next day, peeking up slowly, creeping along the horizon so steadily it seemed like a year had passed already. The rays of sunlight settled among the trees, danced along the fountain's glistening waters, and made the entire building glow with a warmth that didn't really seem to be there. Night had been defeated.

The earliest riser happened to be Popo today. Arisen from his sleep by the first beam of the sun perfectly set on his face, it seemed all planned out just to annoy the young boy. He squinted a bit, until he realized that it wasn't enough to prevent the annoyance. _Might as well get up_, he thought. Maybe someone was… murdered. A part of him was interested as to who was next, but the other side of him did not want to know. It was already enough trouble thinking about the deaths that already occurred. The only thing he really wanted, though, was for the assassin to leave his friends alone. But if the killer was to strike his twin sister Nana, he would never forgive himself. That would be worse than him or her attacking Ness or Young Link. He loved his sister. Popo decided to stay in his pajamas for a while, since they were comfortable and warm. After all, what time was it? About five or six? There was no sense in having to get ready for a new day yet.

Popo arose out of his bed, carefully, since Nana might be still asleep. The two of them shared a bunk bed together, his being on the bottom, unfortunately, since usually he enjoyed higher places. It was always fun to sleep like that. Slowly he brought both feet out of the sheets and onto the floor, his bare feet touching the rough, white-colored carpet below. It was much cooler out of the warm, safe nest of his bed. He rose to his feet.

Popo stretched. He wondered if anyone was awake yet. Maybe Nana was. No, she wasn't, he could glance up at the top bunk and see her. There she was, sleeping like a baby, unharmed. He smiled, watching her chest rise and fall as she slept. She was very cute and innocent looking in her sleep, he noticed that. He wouldn't tell her otherwise; big brothers never offer their sisters compliments.

He unlocked the door and quietly opened it, taking a step at a time out of their room, then finally shut the door behind him. Compared to his room, the hallways were dark and silent. The eeriness of it all forced chills to creep up his spine, tiny ones, but all the same unwanted. Taking light footsteps across the hall and past Mr. Game and Watch's room, he was making his way towards the stairs that led downward to the 2nd floor, and then he would go to the 1st. However curious he may be about the next murder, he didn't want to wake anybody up or disturb them by opening doors and intruding without knocking.

Was Samus OK? Was Young Link or Ness OK? Mr. Game and Watch? He pushed thoughts into his mind whenever he looked at a smasher's closed door. He probably couldn't even open any either way, since they were most likely locked.

At last he reached the stairway. All silence was broken when the sound of a door caught his attention, almost making him jump. Instantly the Ice Climber turned his head to see who or what it was, and was relieved for it to only be Samus. That was right, she was leaving this morning to go back to safety, a thing he wished he himself could do, but yet he didn't really want to. Popo did not wish to leave this place, mainly because it seemed much nicer here than in the arctic since he was an orphan, and there was more company here than up there, even though he had his sister to take care of him and talk to. It was still better to feel safe, to sleep soundly for once, instead of staying here to get killed. He waved to her, and she waved back, continuing to head his direction.

"Hey Samus, are you going yet? Or what?" Popo inquired as she came within a range of five feet or so.

"Why yes, Popo, I am," she replied, stopping to answer him before she went down the stairs. He tagged along, in which Samus didn't mind.

"It's sad, isn't it?" he piped up. "The way everyone is starting to die and now we all have to leave each other." He nearly tripped over a step in his hurry to catch up with Samus's long strides.

"Of course it is, Popo. Oh, by the way, if anyone else wonders where I went to, I want you to tell them that I left in the morning." She looked back at the young boy, who was evidently listening to her attentively. That was the good thing about Popo. He could always listen to what you had to say and understand it too. "Could you do that for me?"

"Sure thing, Samus!" They continued until the door was within reach. They were big doors, bigger than most you would see hooked to a building, even a tremendous manor. She reached the handle to one of the massive doors, and pulled. It wouldn't budge.

"Huh?" she exclaimed, slightly puzzled. The bounty hunter tugged harder, and shook the handle with all her might. Yet it still would not open.

"Need any help, Samus?" Popo offered.

"No thanks. This is strange. The door should have opened by now. It's not that stubborn, and I pulled as hard as I could." She stared blankly at the firm handle, like it was a complex mystery.

"You can always go around back," Popo suggested, pointing towards the back of the mansion. "Maybe this one is jammed."

"But how?" Samus asked as she walked to the back doors. After reaching the pretty long distance, she tried these doors, but none worked.

"What the…" Samus stated. "Something is not right."

"Maybe it's for security purposes. If so, he locked those doors pretty good," Popo said.

"Popo, it's unlocked," Samus replied. "There's something wrong." Popo's eyes widened.

"Are… are we stuck?" Popo asked in amazement. Samus couldn't reply. She just walked on.

"Wait!" Popo called. "Don't leave me, I hate it when people do that!" He ran after Samus, who was the only one awake besides him.

"I think the murderer wants to kill ALL of us, until the mansion is empty," Samus spoke bitterly. "He seems desperate to keep us inside. Wonder who he's killed tonight."

Popo remembered now. Who was gone today? It was like a process of elimination, a game. One died the first night, the second night, the third night, then who was deceased the fourth? So far he knew it wasn't him, or Samus, or Nana, thankfully. And it was frightening him more and more that he knew he would certainly be dead as well, and he never knew when it would be his time to die. Sometime soon in the future it would happen. There was no escape. He should have left earlier, but that would have been impossible. Who was doing such a thing, though? It was now like knowing you're going to die in a matter of about twenty days. What about everyone else's fate? What about Nana's? She would have to suffer too.

"You can go now, Popo," said Samus as they reached their floor. "I'm going to go back to sleep. I'm tired; I never got a lot of sleep." She opened her door and left Popo all alone in the empty hallway.

"I should really tell Nana," Popo told himself. He raced back to his own room, this time not caring if he woke his sister up with the door, and let himself in.

"Nana!" he yelled, trying to wake her up. He climbed the steps to her bunk, and leaped lightly onto his sister's sleeping form. She woke immediately, making a small gasp from the impact.

"Hey, what's going on?" she murmured sleepily.

"Nana, I want to tell you something," he whispered, crawling up on top of her.

"What? I was asleep, you know," she repented, rubbing her amber eyes.

"Listen. I know this may sound scary, but we're trapped here." He watched her expression transform into a confused one.

"Trapped? What? Here in this room? What are you talking about, Popo, are you okay?"

"No no no. Trapped in this mansion. Me and Samus suspect that the killer did it to trap us so that we could be… so that we could all be killed!" Nana fixed her gaze upon Popo, and she was no longer tired or bothered, but afraid. Fear seemed to have possessed her soul right there.

"Popo… I don't want to die," she said softly, raising herself from the bed so that she was level with Popo. "I'm kind of scared now. Are you sure you're not lying?"

"Nana, so am I," Popo assured, "but… you know… I… I have no idea what to- oh Nana," he cried, embracing his sister in a hug. "I feel so helpless!" His eyes were becoming wet with his anguish and confusion. Nana was surprised, and held her brother closer.

"No Popo, it's OK," she whispered. "Really, we have each other. And besides, I'm sure we will all find a way to get out of this before it is too late." Popo let go of her, and looked her direction, wiping his eyes before actual tears formed. He smiled.

"Maybe we do have a chance."

Later in the day the door problem had been seen by all. It appeared to be sealed away by some sort of magic or object. Same with all doors leading to the outside; they just wouldn't open. Not even if Master Hand dealt with it, or someone bigger and stronger than most who could easily lift things, like DK or Ganondorf, for example. It would not open.

"Everyone, stay calm," Master Hand urged. "There must be a reason behind all this."

"It was probably him!" shouted Captain Falcon, pointing to Yoshi. "He's the killer after all! He wants no survivors!"

Yoshi growled. "It wasn't me! How could I permanently shut doors, anyway? Explain that!" The place began shambling with talking and association. It was pandemonium.

Fox took a step forward. "Cut the crap! We know you're behind this, and maybe you have somebody else in it as well. You have killed enough innocent victims!" Fox was about to lunge, but DK and Luigi grabbed both his arms and held him back. Lately, Fox seemed to be destroying himself in his solitude. He was weak with grief and mental instability, but still willing to plot revenge on the killer, he now had use of alcohol, which did his system very badly and obviously he was slightly drunken at the moment, and usually he never got any sleep. He was tearing himself apart.

"Let me go!" he demanded, flailing and kicking his feet, trying to get away from the pressure that held his arms together, preventing him from doing any harm. "I'm going to save our asses once and for all! He did this, I know he did! You know too! This is for your own good! There's someone else behi-" A whack to the back of the head, courtesy of DK, was all Fox needed to shut up and calm down. He fell onto Luigi, who tried his best to hold him up, in case he collapsed with Fox. He wasn't that heavy, actually.

"That's better," Master Hand said. "As I was saying, you all know we are trapped temporarily, right? Well, if you don't, now you do. I don't want anyone to panic; we'll find a way to get out of here. Some sort of magic, item, or something else is blocking us from opening the door. We will all figure out what is wrong with it." Master Hand was talking to a bunch of chickens having heart attacks. It was hopeless.

However, Jigglypuff was one of the few who actually heard him. She responded, "Yeah, but it's hard not to be scared. What if we don't find a way out?" Lots of people heard her, and nodded their heads, agreeing somberly.

"Maybe the killer will stop soon," Mr. Game and Watch considered. "Perhaps he's already going to get revenge on who he wanted before he kills all of us." This was also true.

"And maybe," Ness added, "Nobody was murdered tonight because all our doors were locked. It must be one of us!" Smashers were beginning to stop their turmoil to listen more, and the chaos was dying down.

"Meh, I could defend myself if I wanted," Bowser grumbled. "Peach, Falco and Pichu couldn't. They're just exceptions." The huge koopa king scratched his head and sat down, acting bored with all of this and wishing he could escape the get-together and go fetch something to eat.

"Wait, what if it was Ganondorf?" Ness continued. "He can use magic, after all, last time I checked." He made sure the evil Gerudo king wasn't around to hurt him after he said that. Ganondorf snorted and approached the psychic boy in disgust. Ness seemed to not take notice as to what was behind him, and Ganondorf took this opportunity to grab him by the shirt and turn the startled Ness his way. Ness quivered a little, since it was such a sudden ambush and a big guy was looking down on him with fierce eyes, almost inhuman.

"So you're saying you think_ I_ killed these people? That may be the kind of thing I'd do in normal circumstances, but how do you even know it was me? For all you know it may have even be Zelda or Mewtwo. Wouldn't HE want to do something like this? Hm?" Ness didn't say anything; he just narrowed his eyes at the man.

"What?" Mewtwo exclaimed. He appeared behind Ganondorf, glaring at the stocky man. "How can you accuse me of this? I have no reason to play foolish games."

Ganondorf turned with a usual smirk posted on his face to Mewtwo, dropping Ness and greeting the psychic cat face-to-face. "It's so obvious. You just about hate the world, and look at your character! A shady one. No doubt would a creature like you commit such a beastly deed."

Everyone was silent and watching the ordeal. Ness had escaped and gone to the crowd of smashers as they argued.

"You would have more of a reason to kill than I do," Mewtwo shot back, staring right into the glare of Ganondorf, not blinking. "In fact, you've already killed thousands at your own hands, and as for me, my numbers of killings are much lower and more harmless than yours. Besides, I always have a justification."

Enraged, Ganondorf spat, "I just didn't kill them, OK!? Besides, that doesn't give you any reason not to kill anyone NOW!" The place was no longer quiet anymore. There was more talking ensued, everyone trying to take control. Master Hand felt that the issue was doomed to failure, and so, he came up to the two who were staring each other down. "Everything is falling out of order because of you guys! We'll get nothing done if we start fighting and arguing senselessly. Now look at everyone- oh, it's hopeless! You're not listening to me!" He began to leave. "I'm outta here!" Like he said, he was gone.

Most eyes were on Mewtwo and Ganondorf. The two seemed to be growling at one another, coming closer and closer. The others had to react.

Shouts of "stop!" and "You don't know what kind of trouble you are causing!" and more things like "Didn't you hear what Master Hand said?" filled the air as smashers like Mario, Link, DK, and Mr. Game and Watch tried to stop them physically, but mostly the two shook them off.

"Come on, guys!" Roy begged. "Would you learn to control your feelings?" He was fairly sure the mention of feelings would rile them up into a whirl of displeasure and prevent them from ensuing a ridiculous staring contest.

"Yeah, you two!" Samus agreed. "It's not that big of a deal, anyway."

Young Link attempted to pull Ganondorf away, but dodged as his big fist tried to knock him away. "He's too fat to move, he remarked with a laugh, then really got striken across the face by his old enemy, knocking him out like Fox, who had been dragged away by Luigi. This got Link badly, who felt rage run through his blood as he watched his younger form be knocked away with force. He did not have his sword with him, which he would have instinctively used, so he used his own fist to thwack Ganondorf across the head, stunning the evil man.

"Don't you dare touch him!" he barked. After nursing his head for a second, Ganondorf dizzily turned to face Link now, locking eyes with the elf.

"It was his own fault that he got in my way," he said. Zelda had rushed up to Link's side in case something happened or Link did something foolish, while Ness, the Ice Climbers and Yoshi hurried to help Young Link. Zelda pulled Link away from the stare-down, which surprised the blonde quite a bit. Ganondorf smirked, knowing that Link was now out of his way, and quickly turned back to his other current enemy, realizing that he had dropped his guard down for a second.

"Idiot," Mewtwo whispered under his breath, slightly smirking at the evil king. Ganondorf obviously liked to stare into his enemy's eyes long before attacking to intimidate them, which was to Mewtwo's advantage. He had full eye contact, which was just what he needed, and used his confusion on Ganondorf. The man stumbled in pure mystification, not knowing who he was, why he was there, who was around, and what was going on. Mewtwo smirked in triumph and teleported on the spot.

Link picked up the limp body of Young Link, assuring the others he did not need their help as he looked at the sleeping face of his little self. Ness looked worried, the Ice Climbers near tears, and Yoshi just concerned, as well as most everyone else. The noise level of the room dropped rapidly. Zelda ran her fingers through the young Hylian's thick hair, seeing the closed eyes of the small elf. How hard did he strike him? Hard enough to conk him out, that was for sure.

"Is he OK?" Marth asked, full of his own concern. A crowd was now starting to gather around Link and Zelda, watching Young Link's lifeless body.

"I don't know," Link replied, holding Young Link a little closer to his chest. "That must've hurt." Mario raised his hand and offered, "I'd switch to Dr. Mario if you'd like. I could check on him and help him wake up." Link thought about this. His trust in other people wasn't that great sometimes, especially in such a crucial moment.

"Sure. I guess it's-a best for him." Mario began to head towards the stairs, and Link followed close behind, Zelda not leaving Link alone for a single second.

Everyone downstairs decided it was best to leave. The area around the door began to fill out slowly, and they were all left with questions in their mind: DID Ganondorf do this, or at least was involved? Were locking doors at night really safe? Could Mewtwo be behind it instead? Or, would the killer be done soon after he got who he wanted? Was it really possible to get out of the mansion? And who was going to be killed off next, if there were any more murders? They buzzed their minds, leaving the smashers in a daze. It was so surreal. This could not possibly be happening… could it?


	7. Fading Away in Clear Sight

He opened his eyes, completely dizzy, his vision fuzzy. Where was he? The only things he could recall was being whacked across the head by a giant fist; Ganondorf's. Now he remembered. His eyesight began to focus more clearly, but he still felt a little lightheaded. At last, he could see his surroundings. The ceiling was simply white, with plaster tiles running across. The room smelled like rubber and medicine, all sorts of funny scents tickled his nose. The sound of a sharp-toned, deeply accented voice startled him.

"Young Link, you're awake!" The voice exclaimed happily. It was none other than Dr. Mario, and he was in his office, as he had come to understand. The young swordsman sat up, rubbing his head.

"How long was I out?" he murmured quietly.

"About an hour or so. But I can see you are better and you remember everything correctly, am I right-a?"

The blonde moved his eyes towards a few tools on the counter. Did he remember? Of course, he was Young Link, he had an older form, he was destined Hero of Time, he knew every smasher, there were recent murders, all the stuff he felt crucial to know. The boy nodded his head slowly. He had one question, though.

"What happened after I was knocked unconscious? Is everyone okay?" The doctor rubbed his chin, as if thinking about where to begin.

"Not-a much. Mewtwo stunned-a Ganondorf into submission, and it-a was Link who brought-a you here. Does that answer your question?" Young Link bobbed his head up and down in reply, though he had no idea what submission meant. Another one of those grown-up words.

"You're free to go," Dr. Mario said. Young Link leaped off the cot and onto both his feet, and then left the office behind, glad to be rid of that appalling stench. Here he rushed across the hallways, passing several rooms such as a miscellaneous one or an office space, and reached the stairs that led to the 3rd floor. He was eager to see Link after these turn of events, and maybe even Ness, the Ice Climbers, and Zelda, or perhaps Marth and Roy. The person he least wanted to see right now was, of course, Ganondorf. It was strange, but… was it fear he felt? Most likely so, but regularly he never felt it, even around his old nemesis. Now he did, but he knew it would wear off. The first place he would search would be Ness' room and the Ice Climbers' room. Next Link's room, since it was further away, a level down. Otherwise if Link wasn't present there, he'd look for Zelda, Marth, or Roy. Pretty simple.

Ness' door was right across from his own. It was helpful, though, especially helpful to remember. Maybe Ness was his friend because they shared some interests. They both had a craving for adventure, both liked to annoy people or play pranks every once in a while (though Ness tried his best to make them harmless, which ruined the fun sometimes), and that must've been how it all started, even though Ness was about two years ahead of him.

The blonde knocked on the wooden door, respecting Ness' privacy since there was a certain air of mystery after one had just arisen from a state of unconsciousness that differed from regular sleep. There was no answer. With the second try there was still no reply, and Young Link gave up. He was only going to visit the Ice Climbers for a minute.

Not even they were in their room, for the door was open wide and there was no sign of the boy or the girl, with the exception of a few heaps of clothes laying about and some other stray items. Sometimes it wouldn't really hurt if they cleaned their room…

Link was downstairs, he just knew it. The young elf quickened his pace downstairs to the second floor, treading on the blue carpet below his feet, and passed Roy's and Marth's room. There. Link's room. A small glimmer of hope entered the mini Link's heart, maybe Link, the one he most wanted to see right now, was there.

"Link?" he called, knocking respectively on the door in the same fashion as Ness'. His ears, which could pick up almost any sound, heard rustling of movement in his older form's room, and Young Link smiled. It wasn't so hard to find Link. The door finally opened, revealing Link's face. His older self smiled in relief.

"I was looking for you!" Young Link exclaimed, leaping into Link's arms, embracing him. He hugged the older blonde warmly, and Link hugged back.

The two of them broke the squeeze. "I was wondering if you were OK," Link said. "I'm glad you can remember everything."

The little Hylian simply grinned up at him. "I just wanted to say thank you."

Link was taken aback slightly. It warmed his heart to hear those words. Sure, protecting his younger self like a little brother should normally be his own duty, but it made a difference to be thanked for it. Especially since no one was there to thank him for saving Hyrule from evil.

"Did anything happen that I missed?" Young Link asked while making his way to Link's bed. He plopped down upon it, his azure eyes on Link, waiting for an answer. He enjoyed having two answers to one question, just in case.

"Well, not too much," Link informed him. "Mewtwo showed Ganondorf up, then teleported. I was also on his side, since I began to get offensive after Ganondorf knocked you out. Afterwards, I helped you get to Dr. Mario, in the emergency room. An hour later, you woke up." Young Link frowned.

"That's the same thing Dr. Mario told me," Young Link said, a trickle of disappointment in his voice. He paused for a moment, and then he added another question. The next thing he spoke was in a different tone of voice: more secretive and prying. "Are you afraid of being killed?"

Link never thought he'd ever be asked that question. It never occurred to him; _was_ he scared? Fear rarely surfaced up to the Hylian. He had placed his life on the line several times, so was he? His thoughts were interrupted by Young Link's voice. "Hello? Are you?"

Link looked at the smaller elf, his expression questionable. Then he said, "Really, I… well, I am not sure… um, I guess I'm not." The younger Link beamed once again.

"That's what I thought! You know what? I'm not afraid either!" Hurdling off the bed , he proceeded out the door, but not before saying goodbye to Link. That left Link to ponder to himself: Was he really afraid?

Master Hand kept close watch over the smashers, like a puppy guarding his newly buried bone. He had to make sure Kirby was here, Roy hadn't gone anywhere, Captain Falcon was still with us, and all that catastrophic jazz. It was tiring and nothing short of frustrating. Even unattached hands needed sleep. Like he said earlier, everything was falling apart, like the fragile shell of an egg cracking under a heavy weight. At the moment he was trying his best to figure out the door problem.

"Let's see… I know I locked the door, but I would have been unable to unlock it once again," he murmured to himself. In his own quarters was a quiet place, good enough to think this over. "If a smasher did this, then who? Ganondorf? Likely. Mewtwo? Also likely. Zelda? Maybe… she had the powers required, or could Yoshi have done it somehow? Could he have teamed up with someone with magic powers? Or perhaps, Ness could have committed the crime somehow. He does know how to use a PSI shield pretty well… was it possible to wrap the whole mansion into a barrier?

Crazy Hand interrupted with an intrusion. They had connecting rooms, though thankfully a door laid in between.

"You should get some sleep!" he demanded, giggling like a girl on steroids. "You look worn out!" Master Hand looked at a clock hanging on the wall. 9:00 PM. Crazy was right; he needed sleep, or he would go as insane as his brother.

"Fine, but what was that about?" Master Hand questioned. He needn't ask. Crazy was this stupid either way. The left hand had already exited his space. It would be time to sleep. What would happen tomorrow?

"Now is my time," the familiar cloaked figure told himself. "The time to kill." The object he carried in his covered left hand was bottled, a strange item. It appeared to be a yellow carton of some foreign substance, definitely not your average Tropicana.

"There's the bathroom. I see that the light is on, and I can only guess who it is," the murderer said slyly with a chuckle. The door opened, letting a beam of light shower down on the carpet, and that was when the label was visible. The words, "Syntex: TSP" flashed on it.

The cloaked figure immediately became invisible to the mortal eye as DK had ventured out, creating question as to what had been done in there. The blackened figure frowned. This was not who he had come for. He took this opportunity now to slip into the brightened bathroom and open the cupboard below the sink's counter. There were various expanses of shampoo, cleaners, mouthwash, and other useful items that you'd expect to find in an ordinary bathroom. The figure tweaked at the pipes a little, and entered the toxic substance into it. The substance made a satisfying gurgle sound as it entered the water system. The entire carton was used up after a significant of pouring, and the hidden form rushed out of sight, awaiting the death of his next victim.

Perfect timing. His victim was spotted walking into the bathroom, to get… a drink of water. After a couple minutes, the sound of gagging and coughing was heard, as well as a collapse. "Ho, damn… this water… -cough- is nasty!" The killer smiled to himself, but soon vanished like an accomplished ninja at the sound of rapid footsteps.

Luigi was certain he had heard choking sounds from the bathroom. Not that he was from the 3rd floor or anything, but he heard something as he was simply walking up the stairs. This panicked the brother of Mario, who quickened his pace to behold a vision of Captain Falcon suffering on the ground. He was holding his stomach painfully, puking up water, and coughing repeatedly after every spew. Luigi stopped dead in his tracks after viewing this. What was going on? What was wrong? Did this have anything to do with the murders? Or was it a coincidence? Either way, Luigi decided to assist the poor F-zero racer, part time bounty hunter.

"Mama-mia! Are you okay?" Luigi cried, kneeling over Captain Falcon, making sure to watch out for puddles of wet vomit.

All he got as answers were more coughs and sputters, as well as a what he took as a desperate look beyond his dark visor. Luigi could feel more panic rush through his veins. He had no idea what to do in such a crucial situation. However, he did try to keep the man under control, keep him steady. The only way to get more help was to scream that word as loud as his lungs could allow him.

Of course, being that there were occupants of rooms nearby, help came rushing by in no time.

There was Ness, followed by Young Link and Samus. Young Link was probably no help in this medical situation, but Ness might be of assistance, and Samus was almost sure to know what to do.

"Captain Falcon is in trouble!" Luigi cried. "Big trouble!" Captain Falcon was now almost beyond the point of consciousness, struggling to simply breathe. All three of them were arrested by shock at the sight, not just because of the wretched state of the racer, but Luigi's own terror-stricken face.

"What do we do?" Young Link whimpered, horrified at the vision of someone dying like that. His eyes were wide with fear and disbelief, his hand clasping over his lips as he turned pale.

"Get-a help, Young Link-a!" Luigi ordered, gesturing for the young elfin boy to get away. He wasted no time in leaving for more aid, using the power in his legs to carry him. Ness and Samus came closer, watching as Captain Falcon took in dying breaths.

"What do you think happened?" Ness questioned, his tone fully of worry. Luigi shrugged.

"I heard someone coughing in the bathroom, so naturally I went-a to go see who it-a was." Luigi spoke these words quickly, for he felt an ominous time limit for dialogue. Eccentrically, he continued. "He was suffocating on the floor in here, and now look at-a him!" Luigi worried that he might actually be accused of killing Captain Falcon, just like Yoshi. It brought him into Yoshi's point of view, and now he realized how much it could potentially hurt. Perhaps Yoshi was innocent after all, he considered.

"Okay then, maybe he took an assault in the stomach," Samus suggested. "He did puke, but this is just a bit much." She pet the weakened man on the back lightly, growing uneasily sympathetic. Captain Falcon had collapsed now, struggling merely for oxygen. Samus' instinct was to reposition him so he was on his back, airway clear. The lights were still dimming for the unfortunate smasher.

"Could he have possibly eaten something earlier? I dunno, it's a suggestion," Ness added.

"Well, no matter what-a, we should get help immediately, if we want-a chance to save him," Luigi suggested.

"Young Link has that under control," Ness confirmed. "I'm sure he'll be back with someone." Just as Ness said, Young Link rushed in with Dr. Mario, Mewtwo, and Pikachu. When he reached the trio of smashers, he paused for breath.

"There he is!" Young Link exclaimed through pants of breath. Dr. Mario was first to approach the unconscious Captain Falcon, checking his pulse or whether he was breathing. Pikachu was in the doorway, while Mewtwo leaned against a wall, crossing his arms over his chest and trying to appear as impassive as possible. Luigi waited patiently for his brother, slight worry and curiosity on his face, always wriggling around to get a better view. Ness closed his eyes, doing who knows what, while Samus also anticipated along with Luigi, subtracting the drama, of course. Finally, the doctor rose.

"Well, he has a pulse, but isn't-a breathing. I never thought-a I'd have to perform CPR, but I guess I have no choice." The fact that vomit was still trailing down his chin made all the organs in his body do a barrel roll, so to speak.

"No!" Mewtwo interrupted. All eyes turned on him, silent. The psychic continued. "It's too late; he's already gone. There's no use in trying. A soul is lost when a soul is lost."

"What?" Samus exclaimed. "Of course there is." Her eyebrows had slanted, face scrutinizing the catlike Pokemon suspiciously.

"Besides, he still has a pulse," Luigi proved.

Mewtwo sighed heavily, not bothering to look at any of his fellow smashers. His eyes shut. "Look. How long do you think he can last? He will lose that pulse, since he can't breathe. CPR won't be enough. He's too far gone, and I can feel it. And… Ness. Don't try to prove me wrong."

Ness didn't keep his eyes off Mewtwo. There was something strange about that interruption, as if he actually wanted Captain Falcon dead. Ignoring the arguing, Ness focused instead, closing out all the commotion around him. It was like reaching out to grab hold of Captain Falcon's soul, reaching, reaching… almost got it… yeah! It was barely there, the heartbeat slowing down as the smashers talked away, like a fading mirage. Talking was most definitely a big waste of time. You should be able to save his life right now if you acted quick enough. It was apparent that Mewtwo was lying; you could still manage to save his life if you tried hard. However, as this was occurring, Ness could feel the emptiness of Captain Falcon now; it almost felt like juice being poured out of a pitcher, or gasoline being emptied out of a car. It was new to the psychic as he sensed this intently. The soul was departing the body. Alarmed at this discovery, and proving this vocally, he tried to get an opportunity to speak to the spirit. Ness focused harder.

_Falcon? _He called, trying to contact him.

_Yeah? _An answer!

_Is that you?_

_Sure is. Whaddya want, kid?_

_Wow, I've never contacted somebody who's kicking the bucket before. Anyway… do you remember exactly how you died? I think it would help to know._

_Hmm, nope. But the water I drank sure tasted rank. Soon I started choking on it, and it was way too painful for a sip of water._

_Oh, OK. See anyone?_

_No. Just me._

_Alright… well, I guess this is goodbye, since I really can't keep this going much longer. Forever. God, you know, it's kind of freaky knowing you'll be gone forever, though I never really knew you that well. Um… hope you have a good afterlife, I guess._

_Thanks. _The spirit seemed to leave, being pulled further and further away, and Ness let his focus go. It was certainly a peculiar experience, speaking to the dead. At least it cleared one thing up.

"We're wasting time!" Dr. Mario shouted firmly. "For all-a we know, he could be dead-a by now!" The doctor hurried up, kneeling down, and began doing CPR.

"Uhhh… wait." Ness interrupted, holding up a stiff hand. "Doctor… Mario? He's dead." It was truly a disturbing sight to behold: the two of them looked as if they were kissing. It forced Samus to gag and Young Link to turn away, making highly disturbing noises. Ness rolled his eyes and poked Dr. Mario, his own face contorting.

"This is a life and death situation, Ness!" he scolded. "What-a you have to say can't be that-a important." He continued to give the deceased racer rescue breaths.

"You heard him, he's dead," Mewtwo informed flatly.

The doctor finally stopped what he was unwillingly doing, wiping his mouth in the process. You had to believe a psychic, especially two. Dr. Mario appeared as if he were to barf any second now, adding a colorful touch to the other piles of puke on the floor.

"Excuse me, but I think I'll be leaving now," he said, and, as nauseas as he was, rushed out as quick as he could. The other five remained silent as the doctor zoomed away.

"He… he spoke to me when he died," Ness said once the others recovered from the past episode. He received stares of blank, confused or surprised faces, or maybe even a mixture of the three. Either way, everyone had to utter a question.

"What are you talking about?" Young Link asked.

"So?" Mewtwo mumbled.

"What did he say?" Samus questioned.

"How could he do that?" Pikachu inquired.

Ness sighed, rolling his eyes. "One at a time, PLEASE." Nobody said anything more, just remained quiet and listened more eagerly. "Okay, first of all, I'm psychic. How else would I be able to communicate with him while he was passing away? I can't just waltz up to the clouds or whatever and ask him, "Hey, how are you?" Second, he told me about how he died. As a matter of fact, he doesn't even know, which doesn't help us. He only said he felt queasy at the stomach and throat before he suffocated. Maybe it was something he consumed."

"Uh… raw meat?" Young Link remarked, finding this funny. It wasn't. His smile turned upside-down.

Samus crept inside to investigate a little further. Could the answer be in the bathroom? She went through a drawer, tossing a toothbrush aside and a brush the other direction. Nothing toxic. It looked, however, like he had taken a drink of water recently, but it could have been somebody else. It was not enough evidence. Below the counter, she opened the cupboard doors and gasped at what she saw. The others either peeked their heads in or tried to get a good look at what was intriguing her. An entire carton of Tri-Sodium Phosphorate, a toxic cleaning agent, was lying on its side, utilized entirely. The pipes were tinkered with. It was then that Samus understood this whole matter.

"Guys, I'm gong on a limb here to say Captain Falcon was poisoned." She held up the empty shell of the murder weapon. "It's the best assumption. With this."

The others remained quiet. Poisoned? So that must mean the killer is very intelligent, too, and rather good at predicting. He was creative in the art of killing; he wants to dispose of smashers like blocks of mortar. Which direction did that point the several smashers that night? One direction: The solemn, unemotional one that stood there trying to deny the fact that you could save Captain Falcon's life.


	8. The Suspect is Downed

"Why must this continue?" Master Hand wailed. "Now there has been four murders! I swear I'll figure out who's behind all this…"

Samus accompanied the poor hand as he fret. It was very unlikely that a smasher was allowed in Master Hand's room, but this was the case with Samus. She was invited. True, it was distressing to have to listen to all of Master Hand's worries, but she stayed with him anyway. Besides, the fireplace was warm, it's glowing embers inviting.

"Master Hand, please don't get too worked up," Samus urged. "There will be a solution, I know it."

Master Hand sighed. "Yes. But already I've been in trouble with the law lately because of this. You do know that I'm charged when a murder is committed? Pichu's was probably the least."

Samus held a look of shock on her face, and it was apparent in her voice too. "What? I never realized that. Come to think of it, it seems likely."

"That's not all. Pichu's was about $50, and Falco's was $700. I'm really dreading Princess Peach's, and Captain Falcon's as well. Think: A princess! In the hands of me! Killed! My responsibility! She's royalty, while Captain Falcon is a famous racer. Pichu wasn't that important, he was a smasher all the same, though."

"Owch." Samus was more upset. There would be more murders to come. She herself wouldn't cost much if she died, she was sure of it. Who said she was, though? She turned her gaze towards the blaze. In a way, guilt spread all over her.

"Owch is right," Master Hand replied. "I find it a priority to protect all of you with everything I've got."

"That's… very loyal of you," Samus remarked, placing her fair hands on her lap. She probably had the lightest skin tone of anyone here. Then again, she wasn't out in the sunlight very much. She had sensitive skin.

"Really. Well, what else can I do? This is for my sake too. This is for SSBM!" The great hand curled his fingers a little, showing his authoritative figure. Samus sighed, shutting her emerald green eyes. It was going to be a long day.

Meanwhile, the rest of the mansion seemed so hushed, gloomy, and abandoned. Treasured memories here seemed like such a long time ago. It was as if nothing would ever be right again. Maybe it wouldn't. Nobody was happy at all, the mansion seemed dead, along with the four victims over the last five days. The only thing it seemed you could do, was seek the comfort of another smasher, or come up with a plan for freedom. The key to some happiness. Impending doom is not a fun thing to endure.

"Kirby-kun, I really don't want any of us to perish," Jigglypuff anticipated, walking across the halls of the 2nd floor, alongside Kirby.

"Of course, I don't think anybody wants anyone to perish," Kirby replied. He squeezed her hand, which was quite small in comparison to his. "I'll see to it that nobody gets their hands on you."

Soon, they were passing by Falco's old room. An eerie chill rose up the backs of the puffballs as they stared intently at the door. There appeared to be a cool draft coming from the crack beneath the door, and the obvious obscurity inside the room had settled in. This was where all the turmoil and ache had begun. The two lovebirds halted.

"Do you think ghosts could really haunt that room?" Jigglypuff wondered aloud, ogling intriguingly at the crack under the door. Kirby shrugged.

"I have no clue."

"I don't know if I really want to find out, either."

They both marched on, headed for Kirby's room, which was more welcoming than the deathly silence coming from the vacant room leftover by Falco Lombardi. It was as if the lone figure was standing there, all on his own inside the unnoticed room and mourning over a life not even half lived, lost. The two took a last glimpse at Yoshi's room, next to Kirby's. It was obvious that Yoshi would be lodged in there, depressed as always. Would there be any help for him?

Right they were. Yoshi couldn't keep his eyes off the scenery that his glass balcony doors displayed to him. Would they ever be free? Would they ever live longer than a week or so? Yoshi was never more miserable in his life than right now. He knew the only way nobody would blame him was if he were to die. Then they'd realize that he wasn't responsible for all those heartless deaths. Why must Fox torture him so much? He was harmless, everyone knew. Now he was accused of murder by a good portion of the remaining smashers. Even Pikachu was beginning to charge him for killing, probably since Pichu had been one among the several who were killed. Yoshi definitely had to admit: It hurt. Real bad. Nobody liked or trusted him. Nobody could walk by him without giving a suspicious glance or disappointed frown. Yoshi sighed, closing his black eyes and placing a head on his hands. He felt cooped up in his room, but he did not want to leave and face the rest of them.

Was life truly worth living? Could it be true that all this was a living dream? Was his life un-real, and when he died he would finally wake up to a new day? A plan formulated in the green dinosaur's head. If all fails for happiness and serenity, he could perhaps… kill himself. Perfect timing, since he was doubtlessly going to die anyway. The murderer would surely have his head sooner or later. He could forge a note from the murderer, saying that he died next. But not yet. Dying sounded a little too scary. If one more weight was plastered onto his shoulders, he wanted to fall under them all and give up trying.

It was then that a furious knocking was heard at the door. Yoshi gulped. Who could it be? Cautiously he crept towards the banging, creaked the door open, and…

**WHAM!**

A blinding flash that was Yoshi's life flashed before hm. The so-called culprit of all the murders lay crumpled on the floor, blood as red as the rose seeping through a gash in the neck. The wrongdoer escaped the scene just in time.

Jigglypuff frantically wrenched the door open, seeing a glimpse of golden-blond turn a corner of the hallway at lighting speed. Well, it was something of the sort. But, she noticed Yoshi's door being wide open.

"Jiggy, what's wrong?" Kirby asked the curious Pokemon.

"I swear I heard something loud. And Yoshi's door is gaping open! Let's check it out, shall we?"

Kirby hurried to catch up with his love. What the pair saw was sickening. Beyond belief. Utterly horrifying. So terrible, that poor Jigglypuff fainted right before it.

"Oh my… Yoshi!" Kirby cried hopelessly. In a jiffy the star warrior picked up Jigglypuff and made his way to the stairs as fast as his little legs could carry him (and Jigglypuff).

"Master Hand!" he gasped, rapping on the big door that seemed to dwarf him. "Hurry! Emergency!"

The door swung open, almost off its hinges. Samus was all ears now, her attention directed to the commotion before her.

"You will not believe what just happened!" Kirby faltered, gasping for breath.

"Oh, shit! Now it's Jigglypuff, I suppose?" Master Hand questioned angrily and in a devastated tone.

Kirby took a quick look at his fallen comrad. "Er, no… Can I set her down somewhere? She passed out."

"Be my guest," Master Hand said, shutting the door as Kirby hobbled in. He set her down on a pile of blankets near the burning fireplace. Kirby turned to Master Hand now.

"The real thing is… Yoshi is not the killer."

"And how do you know this?"

"He…" Kirby gulped, looking up at Samus for comfort. "Is dead."

Thunder crashed, and seemed to shake the entire mansion. This startled the three, until Crazy Hand broke in.

"Sound effects! Wheeeeee!" Master Hand slapped his brother away, and continued to listen to Kirby.

"You are not serious, are you?" he spoke, more calmly this time. "Yoshi is… dead?"

"That's what I said, and yeah, it was disgusting," Kirby recalled. "He was just gushing out blood, and the door was wide open. You have to come see this." In an instant Master Hand was out the door before Kirby could blink.

"So… Yoshi was killed too, huh?" Samus asked in a sort of monotone, surprising Kirby.

"Well, apparently, yes," he replied. "It looked so sickening that Jigglypuff fainted. Blood and gore." Kirby cringed. "Now I guess there's proof that Yoshi didn't harm a soul."

Samus nodded slowly, eyes never straying from the pink puffball. "So… are you gonna follow him?"

Kirby thought a moment. "Nope. He'll find it himself." He began approaching Jigglypuff's resting body, and gave her a light kiss on the cheek. "She couldn't handle the sight and sudden realization of a death."

Samus never replied to that. Instead, she gave an observation. "The killer murdered during the daytime. Don't you find that a little peculiar? I mean, we're used to death by night. It's possible that's suicide."

Kirby's black eyes widened. "No… do you think Yoshi would have the guts to pull a knife to his throat?"

"Anything's possible." She shifted around on the mantle for a comfortable position, moving a bit of honey-colored blond hair out of her eyes. Neither of them said a word, gazing at the crackling embers of the fire, the only source of light in the big room.

"Huh?" A small, soft, high-pitched voice t6hat sounded like a nightingale was heard nearby. Who else would it be but Jigglypuff?

"Oh, you're awake!" Kirby exclaimed happily. Both Samus and Kirby watched as Jigglypuff steadily arose from her unconscious state. She rubbed her eyes dizzily.

"Where am I?" she questioned, still a little unsure of herself.

"Master Hand's room," Samus informed her. "From what I head, you passed out not too long ago."

"She's right, you did," Kirby confirmed. "Mostly from the sight of blood. I would have probably puked too if I wasn't so worried about you." Jigglypuff flashed a smile brightly, but that smile quickly transformed into a frown.

"What about Yoshi?" she recollected. "Is something being done about him?"

"Master Hand." That was all Kirby and Samus needed to say for Jigglypuff to fully understand. She bobbed up and down in response. Then, she remembered something else she saw at the murder site. Light, tanned-gold hair or something… like Samus' hair or Pikachu's fur. Pikachu? Samus? Samus. She was right here. In this room, with her. Nervous energy piqued inside her, and she wouldn't let her aqua blue-green eyes stray from Samus' direction. Could she have killed Yoshi? It was 70 likely- no, 80. Jigglypuff kept silent, and her thoughts and suspicions remained to herself.

"Well, I guess I'll be leaving now," Samus told the two puffballs, getting up to her feet. She felt so stiff, sitting there for so long. As she left, the remaining two gave each other depressing, pitiful looks, with a hint of fear at the side.

"Tell me, Roy. Why did I ever believe that Yoshi was a filthy murderer?" Master Hand repented, hovering solemnly over the body of Yoshi, currently being inspected by Zelda and Ness. Roy gazed sadly at the fallen dinosaur, knowing that another innocent soul was taken that day. He knew that the most pain resided in the living smashers, the loss of friends and loved ones, and the constant fear of being next down the line. Roy felt a great weight on his mind next to all that pain: The fear that supposedly another one of his friends or one close to his heart would be next on the list. That was a pretty good chance, too, since only Peach was assassinated, and he was pretty close to quite a few smashers. The others killed weren't as close as those several he knew well, but it was still sad.

And as he looked at poor Yoshi, he realized that the green dinosaur had to die full of guilt and blame. Could it be possible that he wasn't killed, but committed his own suicide?

"I don't know, Master Hand," he said. "But it sure was foolish to think so."

Ness glanced up from studying the gash in Yoshi's neck. "No, I wouldn't call it foolish. People have rights to suspect one another for doing a tragic thing, so we don't know any better. What WOULD be wrong is to punish him without surefire proof." Ness went back to work. "Now we have some."

"True," Master Hand responded gravely. Roy watched out of the corner of his eye as Zelda snuck into the empty room of Yoshi. She peered behind the door, and reached her hand out carefully to grasp a long, thick pole secluded from everyone's vision. All eyes landed on her.

"Look what I found," she announced, turning the metal, slightly spike-covered pole around in her hands. There were a few marks of spilt blood dabbled along it as well. "It's the weapon."

"Would it be safe to call this suicide?" Ness inquired, rubbing the back of his head thoughtfully. Either that, or he was scratching a rather annoying itch.

"Not sure, but it's possible," Master Hand said. "The blow was dealt at the neck, and I'm not sure if Yoshi is capable of doing that. Do you guys think so?"

"I'm sure I'd be able to find a way," Roy considered. "Here, Zelda, let me see it." Zelda slowly walked up to the redhead and handed him the bloody pole. Roy studied it a little while, noticing how heavy it was and how sharp the spikes were, as well as how big they looked. He held it up high to his neck, and figured out that it was possible to deal a nice, good whack to the soft neck area, though the blow would certainly be a little lopsided. Yoshi may be able to crush his own neck with this, especially since he had pretty long arms.

"I see," Master Hand grasped. "This might have been suicide. We can't be sure, since there is no evidence of it being a murder or a suicide. We just know that Yoshi was killed with a massive, metal post with a few spikes running along it."

"Unless you count it being in the corner," Zelda mentioned. "Of course, then again he _could _have thrown or dropped it after use."

This was pretty perplexing. If it was suicide, the murders may have stopped. If not, the murderer had only just knocked one more victim off his hit list, and was coming for the next sufferer.


	9. Disturbed Soul

"Zelda? Do you think there's life after death?"

Roy and Zelda sat up at the highest floor, in the lounge room, sipping at hot cocoa in the evening. The fire crackled, the chairs were soft as clouds, and the fact that it was dark outside made the room cozy, despite the awkward feeling that a murderer was lurking around, ready to strike. Zelda took a quaint sip at her steaming cocoa, and replied to Roy's inquiry.

"Well, I do believe so. Although, I believe more on the lines of that you come back to life in a new form. Such as, you are reborn. I also believe in ghosts. I can't be sure, since I have never died."

"Heh, well, you might find out real soon," Roy remarked jokingly. Zelda did not laugh, or even smirk. She seemed a little more insecure after what Roy said. Roy realized what he had done, and repented on what he just made happen. It only proved how smart he was with girls.

"I, uh, I'm sorry," he apologized in a rush. "I didn't mean it like that." Roy felt really bad about scaring Zelda, and his face grew unbearably hot. He knew by now that he liked Zelda more than a friend by now, though at first he wasn't aware of it. He was also wary of Marth's little crush on Zelda as well, and it pained him to know that he had competition for her heart.

"Roy, it's fine," she murmured. "I can't hide from the truth." He watched as her cerulean eyes saddened a bit while she kept her gaze down on the red carpet. It was depressing seeing poor Zelda in this situation, even though most everyone here was dragged into it too. Yeah, it was scary for him as well, since any corner you turn could be your last, and any night's sleep could be the last one you'll ever dream through. Was it possible to protect oneself against the killer and be wary of surprise ambushes? Come on, this was Super Smash Brothers! All he had to do was fight against the killer and be wary of surprise attacks. Besides, another comforting thought was the fact that Yoshi was dead, meaning that probably the murders had stopped, only if Yoshi really did perform suicide. Damn. The chances of the murders coming to an end were pretty low when he had to think about it, only about 30 percent. But there was still a chance, wasn't there? If only there was a way to defend Zelda against death.

Roy gulped down a large amount of his cocoa, gagging since it was too much, and the heat burned his tongue. He swallowed quickly. Then, he heard Zelda ask, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine. I just drank my cocoa wrong," Roy replied sheepishly. Zelda chuckled a little. Hey, at least he made her happier.

Marth stood at the doorway now, studying what was going on inside the cozy room. The two inhabitants of it both kept their eyes on the Altean prince, a little startled by his sudden appearance.

"Oh, hi Marth," Zelda greeted with a small wave.

"Hi Zelda," he replied, then shifted his gaze towards Roy. "Hi Roy." Roy grinned. He didn't forget to say hi to him, too. Was that a good sign that he wasn't too focused on Zelda?

"I hear people are suspecting you for the murder of Yoshi and the rest," Marth brought up. He sounded disappointed and a little upset.

Roy nearly dropped his mug of cocoa and spilled it all over the crimson carpet. "What? That's not true! When Peach was burned to death, Zelda was with us! That's impossible!"

"I know," Marth said blankly. "But how can we prove that to Master Hand? He thinks we're just covering her up." He gazed sadly at the floor, feeling defeated.

Zelda added, "And besides, why would I kill someone like Peach anyway? She was a friend to me, not to mention a good person!" Roy could tell that Zelda was desperate, and near tears of helplessness. He felt sorry that now the blame sort of shifted to her.

"That I don't know," Marth whispered sadly. "But hey, we know you didn't harm anyone. You're safe with us." That's when Zelda's smile spread really wide, and her gaze on Marth showed her soul lost in his eyes. Roy felt an aching pain in his heart, a feeling of loss and defeat. He knew Zelda liked Marth the same way he himself liked her, and she never paid as much attention to him the same she did Marth. He tried to divert attention away from his blue-haired friend to him.

"That's right! And whenever you need a shoulder to cry on or a hand to hold, I'm here for you." Surprisingly, she never even moved, just nodded lightly. Roy gave up and watched his love get entranced by the charming ways of Marth.

So… I see you've killed Yoshi," a malevolent voice echoed in an empty, dim room. Nobody had been inside it for a while, due to all the chaotic things happening. "He was our current scapegoat, but I guess we got another out of the way."

There was absolute silence for a while. An exasperated reply came through, breaking the quiet of the night. "But… I… didn't kill Yoshi…"

An even more deathly stillness pained one's ears. The room rang with pure silence bouncing off the walls and even slightly moving specks of dust. "What do you mean, 'I didn't kill Yoshi?' You're the one I'm using to murder off all the smashers. Who else would kill him?"

"Think about it, there are still quite a bit of people left in the building, and it's possible." Apparently, the superior being in the room barely bought his statement, but understood that he could not have killed Yoshi.

"Fine, whatever. Although the main 'suspect' has been rid of, this isn't a setback at all. Nobody knows who you are, because you are clothed from head to toe and they can't see your form. Though I do wonder… _who helped us?_"

This night, just like every night had recently been, was quiet and still, as if the most simple of noises would trigger another death. The lights in nearly every room were shining down on everything, like it would protect them from the wrongdoer. The dark really was deadly in this case, because you did not know what was going to happen. Your eyes are shielded, but however, your other senses are sharpened. No sight, but you have increased hearing and smelling abilities. Nana wandered inside the empty hallways, trying to keep her mind from even thinking about the dangers of being alone in the presence of the chance of her murder. In a way, she felt crazy doing so, but perhaps the killing had cut short. That was unlikely, since they were still cooped up inside the mansion. Regardless, it had been a long while since she roamed around on her own.

Cautiously she approached the door of the first victim. Now was her chance to investigate and see if anything peculiar existed inside. Otherwise, Popo would never hear of it, given that lately he had become a little overprotective of her. This business was scary, but carefully she turned the knob on the door, and creaked it open ajar.

Cold air flowed past from the interior of the empty room, sending Nana into shivers. Biting her lip, she was determined to enter the dark area. She moved forward baby step at a time, feeling her heart pound with uncertainty. The young girl groped around for a light switch, but to no avail.

So far, nothing seemed wrong or different. It felt like an ordinary, dim room. Dark stains remained in the white carpet, however, and that was unnerving. Could it be safe to… sleep in here instead of her own room? The murderer would never look in here, since this was a vacant, eerie spot. Besides, ignoring the bloodstains on the carpet, it was just fine. Popo should be informed, and maybe a few others.

Before the young brunette could turn to exit the abandoned room, a slamming sound that was similar to a shutting door was heard, and the dim room transformed into pitch-black nothing. A small gasp forced its way out of Nana's mouth as the room seemed a little less empty right now. Was she proved wrong that Falco's room was secure? Could she be next? Worry filled the Ice Climber's heart, as she stood alone in the empty darkness.

Maybe somebody innocent shut the door, wanting to close it because Falco's door was normally sealed off nowadays. She hoped that was the case. At the moment she wanted for anyone to be at her side, anyone, to protect her and perhaps calm her raging fears. Being alone in a place like this was Nana's worst phobia.

Before Nana could rush to the door, her eyes displayed to her a ghostly white blur standing at the exit. When she stared at it more closely, the figure began to take more shape. A large beak, messy feathers at the top of its head… why, this was none other than Falco!

Nana could not move. Here he was, a ghost, staring right back at her. The Eskimo girl knew not to scream, because it would be foolish, and she felt she was unable to cry out at the moment as well. Cold sweat mixed with warm breath didn't do justice, either.

The two didn't say anything. Nana gave out a bewildered stare, while Falco's was a defiant one. He seemed so alive, so much like himself, and if it were only possible that he could regain all his colors back instead of a white, glowing soul, Nana would be fooled that he really was alive again.

All the ghost did was simply grin once, then he began to fade away into the still night. "Wait!" Nana cried. It was too late. He had disappeared right under her nose.

She felt creepy knowing that Falco's spirit still lingered around the place. It was too bad that she never got the opportunity to talk with him. That would give everyone valuable hints and clues, but Falco was gone before she could get the chance to ask. Maybe other spirits were still roaming around the hostile mansion, and perhaps they would give answers. Boy, did she have a story to tell!

In a hurry, she made her way out of the dark room and to the lighted hallways, making light steps while she dashed to her room. The daunting feeling still made her feel weird, so would she be able to go on a ghost hunt if nobody believed her? She would only know by time.

"Hey! Popo!" she called as she entered her room. "Oh, hi Link!" she chirped as she noticed him in their room as well. It was Young Link, but when the older Link wasn't around, she and Popo called him by his original name.

"Hi Nana," they both replied cheerfully as she shut the door behind her. Of course, the cheer wasn't quite real, since the current events were too menacing to really feel any happiness. It was mock optimism. Nana's face suddenly turned so serious, it scared the two young boys.

"Uh… is something wrong, Nana?" Young Link asked curiously.

"Well… I guess so. Listen up, guys, cuz' what I have to say is pretty serious." The other two nodded their heads in understanding, and listened to what Nana had to tell them that was important.

"I was alone in the hallways, and… I guess I wanted a peek inside Falco's room, since I was interested and all."

"What did you do? Nana!" Popo whined. "I told you I didn't want you to get into that kind of stuff! It's dangerous! You could get hurt!"

"I'm fine, though," Nana replied, a tad annoyed by her brother's overprotection. She continued. "Anyway, before HE interrupted, I went in. The door shut behind me all by itself, and do you know who did it?"

"Oooh, who? Was it the murderer?" Young Link asked with intense interest.

"No. It was… Falco. You have to believe me. He was a ghost, a big, white ghost. He shut the door. All he did was smile at me, then he disappeared. I swear."

"No way," Popo objected. "That's not true. I don't believe in ghosts."

"Neither did I, until I actually SAW one!" Nana said. "Popo, please… I want you to believe me."

"I believe you, Nana," Young Link told her. "I agree that ghosts are real. Falco is a disturbed soul."

"But… I never got to talk to him!" Nana exclaimed. "I regret that. I bet I could have gotten some answers out of him, and it might have helped us all. But I failed." She lowered her head in lament.

"Maybe we could find him again!" Young Link suggested brightly. "And maybe Pichu, Peach, Captain Falcon, and Yoshi!" He smiled, thinking of all the possibilities that he could save everyone else that was still alive.

"Guys, maybe we should tell somebody first," Popo recommended. "I think I believe you now, Nana. If you saw what you say you saw, well… I'm in this too. So who should we tell?"

"Everyone!" Young Link shouted. "That way, we can all keep our eyes out for the ghosts."

"But what if we don't find them again?" Nana wondered aloud. "Maybe… maybe we can call for them?"

"We'll figure this out later," Young Link said with a wide yawn. "I'm tired."

"Good idea," Popo agreed.

In the morning, like Popo had planned, the trio told everyone what Nana had seen. Some, like Mr. Game and Watch, Kirby, and Ganondorf didn't believe their story. Others, though, sort of believed her, while a few believed her fully. It frustrated the little girl that not as many people would go along with her, but at least some did. Maybe it was because she was so young. Master Hand only half believed her.

"Well, Nana, it could have been an illusion, since I'm sure you're frightened and all," he suggested halfheartedly.

"But Master Hand," she argued, "he _smiled _at me!"

"That also could have been an illusion," the giant white hand told her. The Ice Climber wasn't a favorite of Master Hand.

"Hey, if Nana said she saw a ghost, she saw one!" Young Link piped up, siding with Nana.

"There's no proof. You weren't with her, were you?"

"How come you won't believe her, when you believed all those other smashers!" Young Link cried in aggravation, balling up his hands in fists out of annoyance. "Falco seems like he would be haunting his room. You need to trust her too!"

Nana couldn't help but smile and feel warm inside. Young Link was a really good friend, helping her with her problems when she needed it. She found it very sweet of him to be working so hard for her. She should lend a hand to him as much as she could. "Yeah, Master Hand! Just this once! I'm not kidding!"

Master Hand gave a great, heaving sigh. "Listen. I can't believe you two when I haven't seen this with my own eyes. Plus, I'm not willing to go out hunting for ghosts. It's hopeless, how will this help?"

"Well, first of all, he could give us answers to who killed him. And remember how Ness and Mewtwo are psychic? They can feel ghosts around them! Please Master Hand, I'm only trying to help!"

Master Hand took this into consideration for a moment. That was true, he could spill out some worthy answers, and if Ness or Mewtwo could find more ghosts, the more answers they could receive. It was worth a shot. Maybe just this once he could trust Nana. Moreover, he was desperate, wasn't he? "OK. But only if either one of them are willing to find the distressed souls. This may be a lot of work. I'll give you a chance."

"Thank you!" the young ones appreciated in unison. That was when they dashed off to figure out if either Ness or Mewtwo were willing to carry out this kind of job. Master Hand couldn't help but watch the two contentedly.


	10. Confessions From Spirits

Nobody had been killed last night, as it seemed. That fact remained in everyone's mind and led them one step closer to believing that Yoshi indeed murdered all those smashers and commit suicide shortly after. However, the force field had not been cleared up, so nobody could leave. Teleportation was impossible, breakthroughs from windows were a failed attempt, and doors were shut tightly. Was Mewtwo behind this? Or was it Zelda? Might Ness decide to assist the killer and block off all exits? Answers would only come as the days waned on.

Unfortunately, Mewtwo did not volunteer to search for ghosts, but Ness decided to give it a shot. In the lonely clutches of darkness, Ness braved it and waited for an encounter with a bodiless soul. Fear only restrained him from falling asleep at those late hours, and he always poised himself ready for danger. To his distaste and everyone else's, not one ghost could be contacted.

"This is hopeless," Master Hand complained. "Why did I even bother?"

"Well, the murders go bye-bye," Crazy Hand brought up with half of his brain functioning. "Yoshi did it."

"No no no, Yoshi certainly did not commit the crime, you don't understand," Master Hand corrected sternly. Crazy Hand seemed surprised and particularily bemused. The right hand continued. "Mario was discovered in the kitchen, dead due to an assault with butcher knives." His voice echoed throughout the room solemnly as he recalled what he found that morning.

"Don't be sad. You'll get out!" the crazy one cheered. Master Hand shook side-to-side, obviously shaking his "head."

When the door busted open so abruptly, the more sane hand yelled out in surprise. "What now?" he questioned a little irritably. "Nothing can get worse, can it?"

"Uh… no, that's not it at all," Mr. Game and Watch said, a little confused. "I just stopped by to say the mess was cleaned up, no need to get all worked up!" He popped his 2D head back through the door, and closed it tight. Master Hand sighed heavily.

"I'm going ballistic."

-

Rummaging through the closet, throwing boxes down, outfits, weapons used in battle, and other sorts of objects, Kirby was frantic. "I swear I saw one in here!"

Pikachu rolled his eyes at how foolish Kirby seemed to be acting in his eyes. "You honestly think that will even work?"

Zelda, standing close by and observing what the two were doing up in the battle room searching anxiously in the closet, suggested, "Well, all of us are desperate, right?"

"Exactly!" Kirby shouted, nearly collapsing onto the ground with the super scopes he was dropping down. There were things used in battle littering the ground, but also miscellaneous objects such as board games, worn-out lamps, long lost socks or candleholders.

"Still… I think you're a little off your rocker. Ouija boards are rigged."

Kirby halted for a moment to talk to Pikachu. "Pikachu. Have YOU ever used one before?"

"No, but it seems impossible that it would work. You can't expect it to speak to the dead or whatever! We have Ness and Mewtwo to do that!"

Kirby sighed at the idiocy of the mouse Pokemon. "Then you obviously don't know, and the psychics can't find the dead; that's the only reason Ness couldn't accomplish it! So give me a break, will ya?" He turned and continued his nearly hopeless search, daring to move aside the pair of briefs that lay forbidden in the top corner of the closet.

"Ah, yes, here!" He threw the box across the floor, further away from the other objects. Pikachu and Zelda stared at the short box as it slid across the floor and then arrived at a stop near their feet. It was one of those inexplicable designs, ones that you'd expect a gypsy to use, displaying witchcraft and mystifying trials on the front. It also had some creepy looking ghosts or spirits perceptible. Kirby hopped down onto the pile of items and clothing, and rushed for the found box. He picked it up delicately.

"I'm off." Pikachu turned towards the exit and sped off impatiently without looking back.

"Whatever you say. Pikachu has become so unfriendly lately." He said this with a pout. Kirby followed the exit at his own pace, forcing Zelda to tag along as well. No one wanted to be left alone in this hostile mansion.

The hallways reflected an anguishing sense of gloom and disregard as the three ventured out; knowing that nowhere at any time of day was safe. Only the sound of soft footsteps echoed back to them, giving a chilly sense of loneliness. Anywhere, a pair of eyes could be lurking behind a doorway or in the shadows, ready to leap out and pull a dagger to the throat. It was a silence that could practically choke you with worry.

The princess of Hyrule decided to break this silence immediately, finding it to her utmost discomfort. "Where are we headed?"

Kirby never stopped walking ahead. "Maybe to a room downstairs, on floor one. I always feel a little safer down there nowadays."

Zelda was about to mention that Mario was recently killed in the kitchen, but swallowed her words and bucked up. There was Kirby nearby, and besides, the murder happened during the night. Unless Kirby _was_ the murderer. She let that slide past her perception. Eventually, the two reached a recreational room to the east of the building and each positioned themselves on the floor in the center. Ness and Mr. Game and Watch looked on curiously at what they were doing, and then made the choice to participate as spectators.

"Now, how do these things work?" Kirby asked to no one in particular, the answer floating around invisibly in everyone's head, ceasing to exist.

"Never used one before," Ness responded, shaking his head. Mr. Game and Watch agreed with Ness.

Zelda thought a moment, picking up the directions from inside the box, unfolding the old paper and reading it silently. She was laced with a sense of uneasiness as all eyes laid on her, speech diffused. After a long pause, Zelda had a small idea of what to do.

"Okay, I'll read the directions aloud." She cleared her throat quietly. "This is to let all of you know what we're doing, or how to do it. First, make your surroundings comfortable and seemingly free of negative energies. Prepare paper and pencil or a tape recorder to record messages. You can use a camcorder if one is available. Using and infrared camcorder in a dim room is a great way to see the energies of spirit. Be sure your board is clean and free of dust. Wipe gently with a clean, soft cloth to begin. You do not have to use spooky lighting or candles, and it is best not to play distracting music. Spirits love flowers, so it is a good idea to place some in a vase of water near the area."

"Would you mind getting to the point?" Mr. Game and Watch interrupted impatiently.

"Hey, it might be a good idea to read every little detail," Ness countered, placing his head on the back of his hands against the couch for comfort.

"Yeah, but we don't really have any access to flowers," Zelda commented, then trailed her eyes back to the manual to read. "Use a protective white light of energy to surround yourself, the board, those you are working with, and even the room. You create this white light in your mind. See it coming down into the top of your head (Your crown chakra) and completely down your body-then extend it outwards as far as you would like it to go."

"Now it's starting to sound crazy," Mr. Game and Watch stated. "Only a psychic freak could do all this junk."

"Watch it," Ness warned. "Anybody can _imagine _an invisible light surrounding them."

Zelda ignored them, then continued. "Decide if you want to place the board on a table or upon your knees, whatever you find comfortable. You can work alone or in a group. If you work with others, be sure that they are not negative in their thinking." All of them glanced at Mr. Game and Watch.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"Never mind," Kirby said dismissively, turning away. "Everyone's so grumpy…"

"Anyway," Zelda proceeded, "Determine who wants to use the board and who will just observe. I think we have that settled. It is best if someone makes notes about the letters and words given." She looked up from the paper and nodded her head at Ness. "You can get some paper and take notes, can't you?"

"Sure thing," he replied, and scooted off the couch in a quest for paper.

"Decide which person will ask the first question. I will." Kirby accepted by nodding in an understanding manner. "If everyone wants a turn at the board, it is best to go clockwise around the board taking turns. The time for each turn will vary with the spirit you are answering. People may be contacted by more than one spirit. Sometimes the spirits argue over who will be first to come through. Though spiritual energy enters through the left side of the body, most people will use their dominant hand to work the board, which in most cases is the right hand. If you have telekinetic abilities, however, and feel you can move the indicator with your mind, then it is best not to use this board as you are guiding the answers." All eyes moved to Ness, who was currently searching through a stack of papers, bills, and all the sort on a desk. He turned around, realizing all eyes were pasted on his back and that telekinetic abilities meant him. "Oh, hi," he said casually with a cheesy grin on his face.

"Hi," Kirby replied with a wave and a satirical look in his eyes. Zelda grinned, glad to see some smiles going around in this dismal place. She continued reading aloud.

"You may also discover as you work with the board that you can subconsciously control the movement of the indicator. If you are not sure, close your eyes and allow the indicator to go where it will. Some spirits move across the board quickly, while others go very slow. One of the first questions you might want to ask is the names of your spirit guides. You can start by asking for a message from a spirit--or by asking a spirit a question. Always start with general questions. Save the personal questions for later when you are comfortable with what you are doing! Once an answer is given you can ask for more information. It is generally best to start with simple yes or no questions. Do not continue to ask the question over and over to seek the answer you want. Ask the question once and accept the answer. You CAN ask for clarification of the answer. Ask simple questions that can be verified in the next few days to determine if your question is from spirit or unconscious mind. You may get thought forms and mental images as you talk to the spirit such as an image of the spirit. When a new entity comes, always ask its name, who they came to talk to, and what they want to discuss. A name might come through as ICMAHEL-meaning MICHAEL. Remember that not all spirits speak in your language. Some have trouble spelling or creating sentences. You may also confront a "trapped spirit" that seeks help going to the light. If this is a matter of you releasing the spirit because you have an emotional link to it, you must set the spirit free and forgive whatever it wishes you to forgive from the time you knew it in the third dimension. If you do not know the spirit who wishes to be released, then send it away and say you are not qualified to help them. If spirits ask you to do weird things, stop using the board for that session."

Mr. Game and Watch chuckled. "Question is, what kind of weird things?"

"Just keep those thoughts to yourself and let me finish," Zelda said. "I'm almost done." She coughed once, then continued her long speech. "Do not ask spirits to bring you things that you want but would not otherwise have. All spirits have their boundaries. You must find all the limitations of the spirit you are talking to. Never ask spirits to harm others. Never use the board to control others. Keep the board in a special place when not in use. Do not get addicted to the board. Using the board seems not to matter whether one is psychic or not. Many psychics cannot even work an ouija board. With experience, you can learn to channel your deceased loved ones and entities from other realms. Thank you for reading this manual." Zelda finished, took a deep breath, and set the instructions back in the box.

"Talk about forever. I could have fallen asleep!" Kirby remarked with a small yawn.

"My knees are stiff," noticed Zelda, spreading out her sore legs more.

"Oh, and I hope you don't mind if Link and Roy are in the room watching," Mr. Game and Watch informed superficially. Zelda glanced up to see the redhead and blonde swordsmen.

"Hey," Roy greeted. "An… a…what's that again?"

"Ouija board," Zelda corrected. "It contacts deceased spirits. You can already guess what we're up to."

"Ah, I see." The redhead approached the couch to observe them as well, Link following behind, equally amused, eyes drawn to the fore coming activity.

"So… let's begin." Zelda took a deep breath, placing the palm of her hand in the indicated spot on the board. Kirby copied her actions. Closing her eyes, Zelda imagined her body slowly being surrounded by a protective white light, and she concentrated on her subconscious mind. It took a while, but she soon felt connected. She knew her first question right off the bat. "What is your name?" she asked calmly.

The board answered her. GERADL.

"Um…" Mr. Game and Watch began to point out, "I don't think we know a Gerald."

"Cool it, this is the first try!" Ness told him, fiddling with the pencil between his fingers. "You seem so grumpy lately."

Zelda nodded to Kirby, signaling that it was his turn. "What is your name?"

MARGARET.

"Told you. It's probably programmed to answer questions."

"Shhhh!" Link and Roy hissed at the 2D man.

Zelda continued. "Gerald, how old were you when you died?"

43.

Kirby took this opportunity to take his turn. "Do you know anything about the murders taking place in this mansion?"

NO.

"Hmm," Zelda said. This didn't seem to be going anywhere. "How did you die?"

CAR ACCIEDNT.

Kirby took his turn once more. "Are you having any trouble or do you need help in any way getting to the afterlife?"

NO.

Zelda. "What year did you die?"

1989.

Kirby. "May I speak with a different spirit? I am trying to find out if I can talk with a certain few spirits."

YES.

Zelda hesitated. Should she do the same? It sounded rude, but they weren't getting anywhere, and secretly she wasn't interested in talking to some dead stranger. She repeated what Kirby had said and got her answer.

YES.

Kirby moved on. "Who is this?"

PIHUC.

"Finally!" Mr. Game and watch exclaimed excitedly, now standing at the edge of the couch.

"Who's Pihuc?" Roy asked stupidly.

"I wonder," Link told him sarcastically, grinning somewhat lopsidedly at Roy's confusion.

Zelda laughed. "Well then, who is this?"

MAIRO.

Kirby remembered Pichu, annoying, hyper, kind of brainless, timid, and cute. If only Pikachu wasn't such a grouch, he would have been able to see this. He'd probably think it was fake, though. "Pichu! Okay, do you know how you died?"

UNCELAR.

"Wow, not even I spell as bad as these dead people!" Roy perceived, placing a hand to the side of his head. They ignored him. He'd get it eventually.

"Unclear?" Zelda wondered aloud. "I guess having your neck snapped all the way won't clarify your death."

Mr. Game and Watch kept his sight on Ness almost constantly. He didn't seem to be writing anything down, just concentrating intently on the board and the players. He became suspicious. What if Ness was controlling it? He had telekinetic abilities, and seemed distrustful. He was trying to fake answers. He lied that he couldn't find ghosts. He said he contacted Captain Falcon, but that could have been a lie, and he had known all along how he died, since he most likely killed him. He was capable of creating barriers with his psychic powers, as well as creating fires, and anybody could stab with knives or hit with poles, maybe he did everything.

Zelda began with the new question for Mario. "Who did you see kill you?"

COVERED UP. CAN'T ESE.

"By any chance did you see who killed you?" Kirby asked Pichu's spirit.

EVIL MALE.

"An evil male? It sounds like Ganondorf," Link remarked. "By any chance was he pig-like?"

Zelda continued. "How did he enter the room?"

I TUNERD ARUNDO NAD HE SATBBED ME.

It took all of them a while to decipher what Mario had said, but it made sense. Ness held a hand up. "Wait, hold up. I fell behind writing this stuff down, so could you pause for a moment? Thanks." About a minute of the pencil scribbling down, he gave them a thumbs-up to continue.

Kirby asked, "What did he look like?"

TOO DRAK. CAN'T SEE.

"This isn't getting us much anywhere," Roy noticed. "Just go on."

Zelda. "What were you doing?"

MIDNIGHT SNACK.

"Figures," Link said, rolling his eyes.

"Anyway," Kirby said, "Did you notice anything else? Make notes."

COLD HNADS. DARK VIOCE. HIENDD NI DRAKNESS.

"Let me make my own notes for a moment," Ness interrupted. After he finished scratching down some notes, he told them to proceed.

"Mario, did anything else happen?"

NOT MUCH.

"And Pichu, do you need us to do anything?"

SAY BYW FRO ME TO EVRYONE.

"Aw, that's sweet," Zelda said, smiling at the board.

"I think I lost contact," Kirby admitted. "But I will."

Zelda asked the same question to Mario.

NOT REALLY.

Roy suddenly spoke up. "You know, it's kind of sad talking to the ones we knew once before but aren't here anymore." Everyone agreed to that statement, and waited eagerly for the next spirit.

Kirby tried to envision the light, his soul becoming more alert, and asked, "Now who am I talking to?"

This reply took quite a while to show up, but soon it read FALCO.

Zelda found her spirit's name to be CASSIE.

"Falco, what happened when you died?" Kirby inquired curiously. Everyone wanted to know about the first victim's death.

COME FROM CLOSET. THREATENED ME. SAID FREAKSH TNHIGS. COME OUT TO KILL ME, COVERED UP IN CLOTHING, SAW GLIMPS OF FACE.

A rain of hope covered the inhabitants of the room. They were a step closer in discovering who did all this. Zelda soon got Cassie to leave, seeing she had no business with her.

"What did the face look like?"

DON'T KNOW BUT HAD BIG CUT ON FORHEAD.

"Who are you?"

PEACH.

"Hey, it's Peach!" Roy exclaimed. "I think she'll also spill a lot of information!"

Kirby continued asking Falco. "Did he have a reason to kill you?"

NOT THTA I KNOW OF.

"How did the fire start?"

I DON'T KNOW I WAS FALLING ASLEEP.

Mr. Game and Watch was getting sick due to his idea on Ness. He was most likely controlling the board to create lies. He needed to notify somebody. "Isn't it cheating having Ness in the room? He might be controlling the board."

"You're wrong. I've been writing notes," Ness corrected, a little livid at being accused because of his powers. It almost seemed like discrimination.

"You pause so long before you write them! You stare so closely at the board!" he countered.

"What if I find this interesting? Ever thought of that?" Ness replied, a little more heated. Mr. Game and Watch was also starting to get irritated.

"Let's just see what happens when Ness is out of the room, okay?" Link decided. "Then we'll invite you back in."

Ness stared at the paper fro a moment, thinking this over carefully. "Oh, alright," he finally said, dropping his pencil and getting up to his feet so that he could leave. Mr. Game and Watch stared at him triumphantly, feeling that he prevented the murderer from misleading them all.

"Anyway, Falco, uh… do you need anything?"

WHAT ARE YOU TLAKING ABOUT?

All eyes in the room gave each other glimpses. Ness might have been controlling the indicator to give them false answers.

"Oh come on, give Ness a break!" Kirby exclaimed. "Let's keep going. I'll go again. Falco, I'm talking about if you want us to do any unfinished business here. Do you?"

TELL FOX TO MOVE ON IN LIFE. TELL HIM TO STOP BEING A WUSS OVER SOMEONE LIKE ME.

It brought a smile to Kirby's mouth to see this. "I'll add that to my to-do list."

"Does this mean Ness is innocent?" Roy asked, bending over and reading the notes taken.

"I bet he's still controlling it outside the room," Mr. Game and Watch grumbled. He crossed his arms, becoming annoyed once again. He wanted to prove Ness wrong.

"You know, I also bet that you're framing Ness just to cover for yourself," Kirby accused. "You seem so critical." He gave the black 2D man a stern glare. He liked Ness, and didn't believe he had anything to do with the murders.

"Hey, hold up for a second!" Mr. Game and Watch yelled. "How could I do all those things that Ness is certainly capable of doing? The doors were locked in the middle of the night, too!"

"Hmm," Link murmured, observing the 2D person carefully. "You are a lot like paper. You'd be able to slip under locked doors."

Mr. Game and Watch was becoming anxious now. "No way! I have no intention of killing!"

"How can we believe you? You have no proof," Kirby added, his strict look never washing away.

Zelda began to get a little frustrated, but she managed to maintain her calm structure. "Okay, let's just continue and leave accusations for later. We still have answers to receive."

"Yeah, false ones made up by Ness!" Mr. Game and Watch interrupted.

Zelda ignored his rash attitude. "Peach, how long were you in your room until the fire ignited?"

TEN MINUTES.

"Let's stop taking turns, Kirby. It seems much easier for one of us to continue talking to one spirit at a time, until he or she leaves. Wait till I'm done. Anyway, why didn't you leave the room once the fire was ablaze?"

DOOR WOULDN'T BUDGE.

"Oh my… did it seem jammed?"

YES.

"Any green goo?"

NO.

"Do you want to speak with anyone?"

ROY MAYBE.

"Well well well… Roy, she wants to speak with you," Zelda told the redhead, a suspicious smile spread out on her face. He paused with the new notes, and looked at the princess. What did she think was going on, anyway? Did she suspect that he and Peach had something going on? It made him a little angry and uneasy, but he smiled weakly and approached the board.

"Hey, Peach," he began. "I'm sorry that happened. I miss you."

THINGS HAPPEN. SORRY FOR ANY PAIN.

"It's okay, I'll move on, unless something gets me here. But I won't forget you."

GOOD.

"It's nice talking to you, even still. Sorry about the pillow, though."

I'D LAUGH BUT IM DEAD.

This caused the living spirits to chuckle themselves, and after they did, the board said something.

GOODBYE.

"Bye," Roy said, getting up to his feet. It was awfully sad, saying goodbye to a friend. All Roy could do was grin and let his eyes become wet.

Kirby started to question Falco again. "Is it true that Nana saw you?"

YES.

"So you still haunt this place?"

SOMETIMES.

"Have you seen any killings?"

CAPTAN FALCON.

"Ooh, okay. Who killed him?"

I COULDENT TELL.

"Oh… then how tall was he or she?"

TALLER THAN FOUR FEET.

"And shorter than?"

SIX FEET.

"How exactly did he kill him?"

ANTIFREEZE AND OTHER TOXINS IN PIPE. HE DRANK THE WATER AND BECOMES POISENED.

"Just as we thought. Falco, did it hurt to die?"

ASK YOURSELF IF KNIVES HURT.

"Ouch, okay then." Kirby turned to the rest. "They never loose their personality when they die, you know?"

"That's the cool thing," Roy said, smiling while rapidly taking Ness' notes. "Hey, by the way, can we invite Ness back in?"

"Go ahead, Zelda allowed. Ness walked back in without any guidance.

"I heard," he said flatly, a little ticked off. It showed in his eyes and voice.

"Great, now let's continue," Kirby said. "Did you notice anything else that could relate to these murders?"

CRAZY HAND SEEMS SUSPICIOUS, CLOAKED FIGURE HAVE IMMORTAL POWERS, FOX INSANE TO VERY BAD POINT. HE'LL KILL.

Speech was drained away as Falco's spirit gave them this information. They knew Fox was taking it hard, but not that badly. Perhaps he killed Yoshi, and might proced to slay some more innocent souls. About Crazy Hand was new, and now he was another possible suspect.

"Thank you for your help," Kirby thanked, and he got the message of GOODBYE.

"Who is this?" he asked the new spirit, forgetting Zelda's turn.

YOSHI.

"Uh, Kirby… it's my turn, remember?" Zelda reminded.

"Sorry."

"Okay, then, who is _this?"_

MARTH.


	11. The Secret Unfurling

"Marth?" Zelda asked, taken aback. It was as if a horse had kicked her directly in the gut. She frantically searched for her common sense, trying to figure out if she was simply seeing things or if it was possible for Marth to have died behind everyone's backs. Obviously, other people in the room were about as shocked as she was.

"Okay, Ness, please stop controlling the board if you are," Link pleaded quietly, tension escaping from his vocal chords as he talked.

"But I swear to God I'm not!" he cried, holding up his hands in defense.

"The only way," Zelda began, "to figure out what's going on is to ask him questions. Then, a few of us could go looking around to see what happened." She tried her best to sound as calm as possible in the face of a bizarre occurrence, but her appearance could not hide the overwhelming fear and shock of the moment. Her face had gone pale and there was an anxious sparkle in her cerulean eyes. Roy was a nervous wreck inside. His exterior displayed a composed and silent teen, but inside him a two-on-two battle waged inside of him: To be devastated that his close friend was forever gone from his life, or to be secretly glad that Zelda was more free to him. Link was almost the same way, but no battle was present. He was simply sorting out his intense and unknown feelings, but he was only leading himself to become more perplexed at the current situation. Zelda took a deep and slow breath, closed her eyes and placed a gentle hand on the board.

"When did you die?" It was a struggle to keep her voice from showing her soul as it panicked.

TODAY.

Fright pricked at everyone's hearts like a knife or a toothpick, or maybe a whip signaling animals to "go faster", only this was to make their hearts speed up instead of mules or oxen. This could very well be Marth, and it was definitely possible for him to die.

"Please continue, Zelda. I'm really curious," Link murmured softly, his sad sapphire eyes glued to the board and her. She nodded slowly, and proceeded.

"Do I know you?"

YES.

Fear now covered Zelda and the others in an invisible blanket, but the blanket wasn't warm, it was chilling. Kirby, Ness and Mr. Game and Watch remained in silent shock and amusement, while Zelda, Roy and Link were more moved by this sudden loss. Zelda swallowed, holding back tears. "How long did you die? I mean, how long ago?"

TEN MINUTES.

It became hard to talk without her voice trembling out of place. "Where did you get killed?"

FINAL DESTINATION.

"How?"

I COULD NOT SEE HIM, BUT HE EXPLAINED A LOT.

"What did he explain?" Her voice was shivering with anticipation.

HE SAYS THAT HE IS ONLY HIRED TO KILL BUT ENJOYS IT. THE REAL PESRON BEHIND IT IS LIVING AMONG US. HE IS THE MASTERMIND BEHIND ALL THIS BUT THE KILLER IS ALSO GUILTY AND WANTS THE SAME GOAL: TO KILL US ALL. HE THINKS WE ARE PITIFUL THAT ONCE WE OUT OF THE WAY, HE CAN ACCOMPLISH THINGS WITH US. I FOUGHT HIM OFF , BUT HE FINISHED ME. NOTICED THAT ONE HAND MAED OF METAL OR SOMEHTING. GIVE ME A BREAK, I TLAK A LOT. CATCH BERTHA.

"Bertha?" Mr. Game and Watch asked in confusion. "What the hell?"

"Breath," Kirby corrected, studying it harder as if something were to jump out at any moment's notice.

"Guys, I…" Zelda started, but lost courage to finish. Tears welled up in her eyes after minutes of firmly holding them in, and she felt as if she simply had to break down somewhere. This had happened too fast. She wanted so badly to just see Marth one last time, to take this event slower, or better yet wish that it never came to pass at all, but it happened way too quickly for her to catch up properly. Now the tears seeped down her pale cheeks, and although she wanted to hide it, there was no possible route. More than that, she wished to crawl into a hole and cry. If only Marth could be with her. It didn't matter anymore; they could all understand how upset and confused she was. Kirby looked like he pitied her, Mr. Game and Watch didn't seem to be looking due to the absence of visible eyes, Ness seemed unhappy in many uncertain ways, Roy looked concerned and at a loss, while Link looked worried about her, as well as just plain sick to the stomach. It was Ness who finally broke the painful silence.

"Kirby, why don't you take your turn?" There was no expression or enthusiasm in his voice.

"Good idea. Yoshi, did you see who killed you?"

NO, JUST A BIG FLASH OF LITE AND PAIN.

"Hm. You sure?"

GHFXC.

"Um… guys, Yoshi's screwed or something," Kirby told them. Nobody wanted to reply either. They seemed like a portrait of still life, with only their sad eyes able to move. It remained that silent for a long while, Kirby continuing to ask questions to Yoshi, about the murder scene, who might be suspicious, and about personal inquiries. Ness gloomily made notes, desperately wishing he could go home right about now.

"OK then, anything else?"

WAIT, FOX KILLED ME.

"Fox, that's it!" Kirby cried, leaping to his feet excitedly and shocking the others to attention. "Jigglypuff was saying that she saw a glimpse of the killer; something gold, like Fox's fur! He's also responsible, he killed Yoshi!"

"I knew he would do something that dastardly, with the mental and emotional state he's in now," Link said satisfactorily, still on the less green side of the grass. "He doesn't seem well."

"Zelda… maybe… maybe you could check up on Marth now," Roy told the Hyrulian princess, who was trying her best to hide her face. It was then that Roy knew he had to carry the torch from here. He got up uncertainly, unsure if it was right to take over, but nobody protested, so he proceeded to the free spot on the board. He tried his best to imagine his unconscious mind, and attempted contacting his deceased friend. "Marth? This is Roy. Is that okay?"

YES WHRE IS ZELDA?

"She's a little down in the dumps, but you can understand. Anyway, we'd like to know more about this situation. Why were you in Final Destination anyway?"

I WANTED TO CHECK FOR ANY CLUES OR FIND A WAY OUT OF HERE.

"Did you catch any wind of his next victim?"

NO.

"Anything else?"

GO TO FINAL DESTINATION. MARK MY WORD, DO IT. IGNORE ME THERE. YOU'LL SEE WHY YOU NEED TO VISIT.

"Thank you." Roy wished he didn't have to see a dead Marth.

CAN I TALK TO ZELDA?

"Um… oh, yes." He wasn't sure what Marth wanted with Zelda, but it gave his stomach a small queasy boost. Even though Marth and her could never be together now, it made him uneasy. "Zelda, Marth would like to see you." He cleared the path for the blond Hyrulian princess to get to the board.

Zelda crawled over to her old spot, never letting her head come up above her shoulders because of distressed tears streaming down her soft face. She swallowed a couple of times, and ignoring everyone else's stares, she asked Marth rather shakily, "What is it you wanted to tell me?"

ZELDA I NEVER GOT TO TELL YOU THIS WHEN I WAS ALIVE.

There was a big pause. Zelda wiped her swollen eyes to see clearer and everyone else watched intently at what would happen next.

I THINK I LOVE YOU AND I REALLY MEAN IT. I NEEDED TO TELL YOU THIS TO BE AT PEACE.

"Marth… I… I loved you too!" she exclaimed surprisingly loudly. After her outburst, she flew into a fit of sobs, mumbling incoherent sentences and almost reminding everyone of shattering glass. Their hearts were either touched or confused by this moment and at the same time shredded to bits as they watched Zelda cry over a lost love and a now impossible relationship. It was almost just like in the movies or a tragic romance novel. The man spills his secret of valuable love on his dying breath, and she is overjoyed yet crushed and now lonely, and usually she can't force herself move on. Would Zelda ever continue life's trails again?

For some reason, it didn't seem real.

"Zelda…" Roy and Link both said in unison, and it was a surprise to hear somebody else say the same thing, so they looked towards each other. A wordless signal in their eyes communicated that they should both aid her with support, and they got up to kneel by her side.

"I think this is a good time to stop using the ouija board," Ness decided. Kirby nodded in agreement and began to put the board away.

"We have to go to Final Destination!" Zelda cried, stumbling to her feet. Link and Roy steadied the poor girl by her arms, hoping she didn't fall or go on a mad rush to Final Destination.

"Slow Down, Zelda!" Link begged. "Take this one step at a time." Zelda struggled at first, but halted and succumbed to both men's grasps. Her fists clenched, she frowned and allowed more salty tears to sting her red face. She had a good chance to let Marth be hers to keep. He had feelings for her just the same as she did, and it was all wasted after his death. Her heart was dropped on the floor, aching and neglected to be picked back up. She would do the best she could for Marth's wishes.

"We're going there, okay?" Link told the anxious, distressed princess. "We can't let you go alone." He turned his head towards the others in the room with a calm glare in his liquid blue eyes. "Are any of you coming?"

Ness, Kirby, and Mr. Game and Watch gave each other evocative glances, and Ness conceded, "Know what? I'll go for it. Better risk your life for a good cause than waste it as a murder victim."

Kirby followed the raven-haired boy, saying, "I'll come too." Mr. Game and Watch sighed and gave in, despite his current bad mood.

"Why not? You'll need all the help you can get, in case any bad situation comes along." He awkwardly made his way to the group, his 2D movements different from any other smasher. Then they were off.

Upstairs, they entered the room where Kirby neglected to clean up his closet mess. In the center was a transport station, able to teleport you to any arena. It resembled a platform mounted on the ground, with glowing lights beaming around it like a halo. Roy stepped onto it first calmly and boldly. He shut his eyes to concentrate.

"Final Destination," he ordered loudly and clearly. Roy's figure flashed a blinding white color gradually from head to toe, and then his pallid silhouette disappeared in an instant. The others repeated Roy's actions and words until at last all 6 of them arrived at their destination.

Mr. Game and Watch, the last one to transport there, was instantly bombarded by an ear-piercing scream that belonged to Zelda. It was soon followed by agonized sobs and cries, and the elfin princess collapsed upon her knees next to the mangled body of her cobalt-haired love interest, a tear staining his sleeping face that was only blemished by a red gash across his lip. The others remained silent as stone, letting her mourn. They themselves were devastated by the prince's death.

"My gratitude lies with you, Marth," Link said in a low whisper, unable to hide his emotions with his eyes. Stars dotted the dark purple and black atmosphere, making the platform they stood on look dwarfed by an eternity of portentous space. For some reason, however, what appeared to be a hole was carved in the center, leading to more eternal cosmos.


	12. Paranormal

"This must be what Marth wanted to show us," Link murmured thoughtfully, glancing at his fallen friend with a staggering pain

"This must be what Marth wanted to show us," Link murmured thoughtfully, glancing at his fallen friend with a staggering pain. The sadness was apparent in his emotional sapphire eyes. Zelda constantly quaked with sobs beside him, tearing at his heart further. Both the hurt from the loss of his friend and the hurt from his other friends' grieving tormented his soul. Roy looked as if he might almost cry too.

"What do you think we should do?" Ness inquired impassively.

"I don't know. At this point, it's nerve-wracking."

"It must lead somewhere. We need to risk it. Either way, we'll die."

"Ness is right," Mr. Game and Watch butt in, surprising everyone by switching sides all of a sudden. "If we go back, we'll likely get killed by the murderer. If we risk this, there's a chance we'll die too."

"Yeah. I'd rather die fighting than being useless," Roy agreed softly, still tortured by the gruesome sight of the lifeless blue-haired prince. "Marth… he tried. He risked his life, and it contributed to something. If it weren't for him, we would never have gone here, and we wouldn't have this much information. He may have saved some of our lives. That… is truly an honorable death. He is… _was _a great man. More than I could have ever hoped to be." Tears finally dripped onto the platform as he remembered his friend. Why did it have to end this way? He would have chosen to have Marth be alive and standing beside him, but he could never move ever again. He wondered what death was like. He should have asked.

By now, everyone was either crying or on the verge of that. It almost looked as if he was sleeping, except the bloodstains on his clothes would prove that illusion mistaken. Zelda reached down to touch his pale face, which still had a tiny hint of warmth, being that he died not long ago. That warmth gave her false hope that only turned around to stab her heart more, and her cries were uncontrollable, despite how much she felt she was being irrational in front of everyone. His face was soft, despite its growing clamminess, and he still looked handsome even while deceased. She wished there was some way to bring him back. It felt so unfair that he should die behind her knowledge.

"Well… what about the hole?" Mr. Game and Watch asked, changing the subject because it was causing him inner pain. "We should do something about that."

"Oh, right," Ness said, lost in the heartrending moment. Even he had shed at least two pitiful tears. "I think we agreed that we try falling through. Some of us, at least. I think that it would be smarter to let half of us go down and half of us stay. That way, a few of us know about this strange… event."

"That does sound pretty smart to me," Kirby agreed. "So… can I stay behind?"

"Coward," Ness muttered with a tiny smile, even though all their hearts were heavy with sorrow. "Fine, you can stay back. I know you have your little girlfriend or whatever…" Longing wishes plagued him for some reason after he spoke those words to Kirby. He briefly felt a flash of feelings that made him want to go back home to his family, to see his friends once again after such a long time, and to escape this never-ending nightmare. "I'll go."

"So will I," Mr. Game and Watch announced boldly. Everyone was beginning to wonder if anyone else wanted to offer. Zelda didn't seem likely because of her overwhelming grief. Roy looked painfully lost in the moment. Link raised a hand dimly and offered, "I will go, too. I think that's a split even amount, then."

Zelda glanced up at Link almost critically. He, of course, did not see it. How could he just walk away like that? Didn't he care? His friend died! He acted like it was no big loss! If she could find words right now, she would complain towards his attitude. In a way, though, she wished she could feel, or at least look, as unaffected as he did. Her entire dignity was spent, as she lay crumpled on the ground next to her love. The sobs would not shake off. Roy noticed that glare given to Link. He felt a small tide of satisfaction, but it tore him apart to see everyone in such a state. She was angry at Link, which would cause some conflict, and worse, Marth was gone. It was hard enough to keep his own self from making any noises or loud hiccups. Another problem that vexed him was that it seemed like she would never muster enough courage to get over Marth. In such a state of blubbering and heartbreak, the outcome would seem impossible… and she was oblivious to anybody else, including him. He knew Marth telling Zelda was for Marth's own sake, but then again, why did he have to do that? She's a mess now! Zelda would be better off without these heavy feelings of longing and regret. Didn't Marth see the shamefulness in his confession? He didn't expect to be slightly angry with his deceased friend.

"I'll go first," Link determined, gazing tensely at the eternity below him. It didn't _look _like it could lead anywhere… perhaps it was just a result of the battle? Would he be tossing his life away meaninglessly? He was taking second decisions.

"Well?" Ness asked curiously, waiting for Link to dive.

"I don't know if I can. What if I'm just being foolish?"

"It's a 360 degree circle," Ness informed flatly. "Does it look normal?"

"No, but in a way it does. I don't see some beam leading down to somewhere or anything. Just… space. He could be tricking us."

"Who?" Mr. Game and watch questioned.

"The killer, of course. But… if you insist I go down, then I have no choice. I'd rather be an experiment than be murdered." Without hesitating, he leaped down, surprising everyone with his supposedly rash behavior. Zelda nearly screamed, had she not been choked up so bad, and Roy feared he might lose another friend. Kirby, Ness, and Mr. Game and Watch leaned down to watch him fall through the eternal heavens, but to their shock, he was nowhere to be found. "That's strange," Kirby noted, his shiny black eyes searching everywhere for a hint of the Hylian. Ness gulped. He would have to fall, too. At this time, he would have to be courageous, just like he was always told to be.

"If I don't come back… remember what I did," Ness said with a weak smile as he too plunged down, eyes closed so as not to see what became of him down there. Ness had disappeared too, just like Link. Mr. Game and Watch followed, packing as much guts as the 2D figure could congregate. They had gone, and the three remaining weren't sure if they would ever return again. A harsh sob escaped from Zelda's breath when it all hit her, and Roy swooped to her side now that most everyone was departed.

"Zelda… it will be okay, please listen…" He was scared. He didn't know if he was telling her the truth or not, or if he was offering her any spirit at all. "I know he's gone, but you will live. I don't think Marth likes seeing you unhappy." She still continued her bubbling cries as if the world had ended. Roy felt devastated and aggravated. What could he possibly do to comfort her? This was beyond his control! In an instant his own tears spilled out from his sapphire eyes in rushed streams, and he could only hold onto his fellow mourner, who, in turn, held onto him for comfort. Together, they grieved the death of their precious friend. Kirby couldn't handle the painful sight any longer, but he waited patiently for a signal to leave back to the mansion.

A fuzzy pain pricked at Link's brain as he blinked his eyes open and regained his senses. Once he could see clearly, he found himself in a strange, dim corridor made of gray granite and copper cobblestone floors. He found himself on a bronze platform that had interesting markings on it, and it appeared to give off a mysterious glow. Beside him, Ness and Mr. Game and Watch were coming back to their wits as well.

"Any idea of where we are?" Mr. Game and Watch asked dizzily.

"I'm just like you on that one," Ness replied, amazed at how falling into space could cause them to end up in a place like this. An eerie silence echoed back at their ears almost menacingly. When Link collected himself to his feet, he noticed how easy it was and became bewildered.

"Why do I feel so light?" he asked nobody in particular. "It feels like I've lost at least fifty pounds."

"Watch this!" Ness grabbed Mr. Game and Watch, threw him up into the air, and snickered as he floated in the air like a paper airplane. Of course, everyone except the poor 2D character himself thought this was amusing. "Hey! I won't get down… in case you haven't forgotten, I'm lighter than Jigglypuff!" He struggled to at least reach the ground below him while being caught in the air current, but Ness was gracious enough to take him down from his lofty position.

"He doesn't do that normally," Link remarked. "Which means…"

"Yeah, what I was thinking… where are we?" Ness squinted in the murky corridor.

"I don't know, but I already don't like it," the flat smasher stated. "I can't even see ahead of us."

"That brings more mystery to this," Link said. "Want to go forward?" He was already getting off the large platform, despite what the other two said or did.

"Sure," they both replied, and hopped off after him to venture cautiously through the mysterious corridors that seemed to point in only one direction. As they walked on, the air either transformed to a bitter cold one moment, and a scorching hot the next. The walls felt like rubber instead of crumbly rock, and instead of a usual clonk that's supposed to be heard from cobblestone, it was a soft scritch like that of a shaggy carpet. Water dripped from the floor instead of the ceiling, and once in a while, a weird noise could be heard. It was terrifying to be in a place so unknown.

"A picture!" Ness shouted, pointing to something ahead on their left wall. They hurried to where the picture lay, and were greatly astonished to find Falco's portrait, done quite nicely, in front of their eyes. He had on the usual 'I'll kick your arse' smirk, with bold black eyes and vibrant indigo feathers tipped with crimson. It looked so lifelike that for a brief second, they thought he was alive again.

"What's the meaning of this?" Link wondered aloud, giving a deadpan expression towards the picture. Everyone was dumbfounded yet chilled.

"Why is it here, more importantly," Mr. Game and Watch noted, trying his hardest to stay on the ground. "And in a place like this…"

"Let's go," Ness suggested, swallowing. "I'm getting the creeps." They headed straight across the unchanging hall, until, on the opposite wall of where Falco's was, up ahead, another picture made itself visible to the visitors. It appeared to be the same type or portrait, except the focus of it was Pichu, with one of those wide, cute smiles and happy, shiny eyes. The impact of realization sent chills running up their backs as they stared at another victim.

"Pichu was the second victim, right?" Mr. Game and Watch inquired for confirmation.

"Uh…huh." That was when they bulleted ahead for more images, and on the same side of Falco's portrait, the sweet smile of Peach greeted them, a kind expression on her face as if she wasn't dead at all. "This is really creepy!" Mr. Game and Watch cried, fear evident in his funny-sounding voice. The pictures were the same amount of distance from each other, on alternating walls, and seemed to go in order from whence they were killed. Captain Falcon, Yoshi, Mario, and then Marth. The trio's minds were backflipped. What could this all mean?

"Should we… continue?" Link asked, glancing ahead the corridor, surprised to see a strange, reddish-violet glow up front.

"Yes. If we want to figure things out, that's the best thing to do," Ness decided, still spooked out by all the mystery. This time, they walked slowly, still uncertain of their own courage to face the unknown. As the violet-red light surrounded them, a peculiar photograph caught their attention on the wall. It was Popo of the Ice Climbers, cheerfully beaming at them like he had no problems in the world. However, they thought, he may have some coming up…

"Popo!" All three of them stated at once, giving each other worried glimpses. "Did he… die?" Ness asked in fright.

"I have no clue," Link responded. He gazed at the picture as if still trying to figure out a puzzle. "It's hard to say… this is so peculiar."

"I think it has something to do with the lighting effects," Mr. Game and Watch mused. He walked on ahead without the rest of the bunch, who followed shortly. Soon enough, another picture was to be discovered.

"Why, that's… that's Bowser!" Link exclaimed in disbelief. "All these smashers are alive!"

"Then, this must mean… the killer has a set order of who he wants to kill," Mr. Game and Watch noted. "We should go further and figure out more."

What happened next startled the 2D figure so badly that he could have turned white. Ness and Link looked at him in pity. There, on the framed portrait, was himself. He shook so bad that he had actually started gaining air, until Ness held him down. "We'll make sure that doesn't happen, okay?" he told him reassuringly. In a way, Link smiled. Earlier, those two were fighting. Now, they were getting along just fine. The pictures on the wall continued.

"So this must obviously be the order in which he wants to murder them," Link concluded. "And Luigi's the last on the list." An abrupt rumbling shocked them out of the mysterious moment. The floor tiles were shifting under them; cracking, crumbling, moving, until it gave way and they tumbled roughly down a dark, sloping passage. Mr. Game and Watch, however, being as light as he was in theis paranormal dimension, floated up instead of falling down, so he managed to hold onto the floor when it stopped. When he finally held a grip onto the wall, he panicked. Now he was all alone in the dark corridor, with no solution on how to get out. Worst of all, where did Ness and Link go? He hurriedly rushed the opposite direction, thinking that perhaps the platform had some secrets as to how he could return to the normal world, where he didn't feel like he was going to peel up off the ground any second.

Roy had finally managed to get Zelda safely back to the mansion, as well as Kirby and the deceased body of Marth, whom they decided to take with them because it felt rude and inconsiderate to simply leave him rotting there. Everyone else was indeed devastated at the loss of the prince, but curiosity and questions bubbled up at the new information they had acquired. Zelda, Roy, and Kirby were practically treated like celebrities being pelted by the media. Zelda just wanted to be alone, Roy was irritated with it all, and Kirby wanted to carry on as he was before the ouija board. Naturally, they got their way, that is, after Master Hand asked some questions.

"You know very well that we have to do as much as possible to prevent any more death in this mansion," the great hand spoke to them directly in the commons. The trio was seated on two chairs, Kirby in Zelda's lap. He thought they were alone, but that was not always the case…

"If Link and the others return safely, and depending on what they say, we must carry out missions to rid of the murderer. I still don't know if it's a smasher, and Fox is being locked away in one of the rooms upstairs currently with a couple guards, but… ah, I forgot what to say. The point is, whoever is doing such crazy stunts has to be destroyed."

"I still think Fox is behind this," Kirby brought up for the millionth time, but nobody was cheerful enough to tell him, "We know already." Zelda seemed stoned, as if she now floated in her own little facet with Marth and past memories. Master Hand noticed how upset she looked, but said nothing of it.

"The only thing we can do is wait. Please hold out until then, and I'm sorry about what happened to Marth. He did a lot for us, remember that." The Hand mysteriously disappeared in a flash, but that was nothing new. Roy took another glance at Zelda, and sighed. Why did she have to be so sad? He wanted to spend time with her!

Upstairs, Popo was leisurely gazing out the window, longing to break free from this fearful capture. His auburn eyes searched every tree, the lawn that used to be well-kept, a partly cloudy sky in which a blue jay soared across (making him wish more that he could be free), the gorgeous marble fountain in the courtyard, and the endless horizon that beckoned him to run away. The boy sighed sadly and rested a hand on his chin thoughtfully. Then, it hit him.

WHY didn't anybody think of this? It was the perfect plan! If the windows were broken through, there would be means of escape! He beamed as the plan seeped in quickly, then searched around the messy room for his hammer. That would probably be enough to smash the sturdy glass. He whacked the window with a hard blow, only denting it a little but causing a small series of cracks in one spot that looked like a tiny spider web. He took another blow to the object in his way, and cracks spread from the miniature one as he continuously hit the window. Spirit returned into his soul as a solution was being formed, and the disturbing thoughts of certain death dissipated. With one more smack, the glass shattered, but there was no time to celebrate. A cold hand reached out for his neck, jerking him backwards a little. He gulped. There was no way to turn around. Panic flooded his body.

"My my, what is this?" the chilly voice said with a faint chuckle in his voice. "Trying to get away, are we? You were so close, too. I'm sorry, but even that won't work." He ran a finger across his vital point, causing him to shudder and emit a faint whimper.

"I've never killed a human child before, but maybe we'll see what it's like," he proposed. Popo acted quickly, flinging his mallet backwards to hit his predator, but to his despair, nothing appeared to happen except for some mocking laughter. "Nice try, but there's nothing here to help you. I'll make this quick if you'd like."

He couldn't believe what was about to happen. The only option now was to cry for help. "HELP! SOMEBODY, NANA! NANA!" The murderer became alarmed, hastily grabbed a glass shard, and sliced at his weak neck, satisfied when a light, gasping hiccup was released from the brunette, but even more so when the feeling of a warm liquid seeped onto his hand. A sickening smile formed on his lips as he felt Popo tremble in his hold, barely holding onto his life. He squeezed the precious neck firmly, making the Eskimo choke on his own blood. He shut his eyes regretfully and drifted away.

Hearing footsteps, the culprit immediately formed the window back together with telekinetic powers, and disappeared before the sister of the victim came rushing in. What met her curious amber eyes changed her from that moment on.

"P-Popo?" she muttered, ready to fall over with horror and grief. The anguish had not yet hit her, but when it did, the force was enough to knock her off her feet and destroy her fragile heart. Tears didn't hesitate to run down her pale cheeks, and she scrambled to her brother's side and turned him over, horrified at the gruesome sight that befell her. Immediately, dreadful sobs escaped from her lungs as she rested her head on his chest, noticing there was no longer a heartbeat. She fainted right there.


	13. Perpetual Abyss

There was a long silence. Luigi, Samus, and Young Link all surrounded Nana while she quivered and hiccupped at the sight of her dead brother. By now, she had awakened, but she wished she hadn't with a passion. The reality of it all was worse than being murdered.

"Nana…" Samus spoke with lots of shock in her voice. It brought some weights on her heart to know what Nana must be suffering right now, and also the fact that playful Popo was no longer around. Nana replied with a wail, and then turned around to cry on the floor. Young Link stood in horror, noticing his little buddy lying dead on the floor with a big slash across his neck. He too felt hot tears begin to trickle from his cerulean eyes.

"Why?" Nana screamed, being muffled by the palms of her hands. "Why… I couldn't save him." Her snivels caused her entire body to quake. Samus walked in to kneel down and comfort the poor girl. She placed a hand on her back and slightly stroked her.

"It's not your fault. I don't think anybody could have saved him if they tried." The sight of Popo disturbed the bounty hunter, and she unwillingly took of her denim jacket to cover up the most ugly part of the mess. Nana didn't need to see anymore, and neither did Young Link. The depressing sight in front of him saddened Luigi, and as much as he wanted to leave, he felt the need to help. But then again, he could do that while leaving.

"Should I go report this to Master Hand?" he asked, waiting for verification.

"Yes. Please." That signaled for the man in green to slink away and tattle to Master Hand.

Young Link began to whimper, and in a flash he bounded away to cry alone. Samus sighed. It was to be expected… after all, this kind of situation was scarring. She too felt like she would never be the same again past all this. Nana continued to mourn helplessly. Inside her was a mixture of tear-jerking feelings and scary thoughts of the future without Popo beside her. He had always been there. As far as she could remember, he was always there to look up to. It was like swimming in warm water all your life, but suddenly the climate, which is an uncontrollable force, had transformed it into a bitter cold that is unknown to you; if you can't adapt, you're doomed. Memories lashed out and whipped her breaking soul, so she flung into Samus' arms for a way of comfort. The blonde frowned in pity, and held her tight. _Poor girl… there is no way she should have to endure this. It's terrible… they were like a pair of socks._

"…Let's take him away, now," the loud voice of Master Hand interrupted. "He can't stay here." Samus jerked her head around to see the hand and Luigi standing there solemnly. She nodded, but Nana, who peeked around Samus' shoulder, burst out of the woman's hold and demanded, "No!"

"We have to," Master Hand reasoned. "He's staining the carpet, and it will disturb people. He needs to be removed."

"What, staining the carpet? Is that all you care about?" she snapped in frustration, more tears pouring out of her fiery tawny eyes. "He is my brother! I don't want him to be taken away!"

"Whether you like it or not, Nana, he's already gone," Samus rationed. She didn't like to sound mean to the deprived girl.

Nana sniffled. "You can't tell me that! He's staying here!" The older smashers glanced at each other hopelessly. This was a really tragic and difficult situation.

"Nana," Luigi spoke. "He can't-a be left here out in the open. We must-a put him somewhere else."

"…" Nana trailed her eyes to the ground, her chestnut hair trailing down with her, hiding her face. "I can't." More snivels were heard. "It's impossible."

"Nana, please." Master Hand's voice was firm. "Give us Popo's body."

"No!" She rushed down to protect her deceased brother. "I-I won't let you! Go away, this is none of your business!"

"YES. It IS very well my business, and if you don't want to get smacked, hand him over. He will decay here in a matter of time, and you don't want his dead body lying in the middle of the floor. Stop being foolish." The Eskimo could not reply. Instead, she gave out a distressed wail and buried her face into Popo. Samus didn't know what to do. She should make it sound better for her.

"Please, Nana, don't make this hard. If you want, we could give you time. But he has to be put to rest somewhere safe. Understand?" Nana hesitated, but nodded slowly. The three of them were relieved that this quarrel was over with. She unwillingly let go of her brother after one last, soft goodbye, and then waited until Master Hand and Luigi were done removing it. Nana was still bawling and muttering things to herself.

"Do you want anything?" the female bounty hunter asked softly. "Hot cocoa? Anybody you want to see? A blanket?" The lone Ice Climber shook her head.

"I wish that evil person didn't kill Popo," she hiccupped. "He doesn't have any idea what kind of pain he's dealing."

"Yeah." Samus got up from Nana's side, took her bloodstained jacket, and left quietly.

Roy searched the entire foundation for Zelda, worried that she had done something drastic like suicide or been killed off by the murderer. He didn't dare call her name, however, because it would cause noise, and besides, she wouldn't respond. He found her in the same room downstairs, with the ouija board. _Oh no… what is she up to now?_

"Zelda," he greeted to her back. "What brings you down here?"

"Shh. I'm concentrating so I can talk to Marth again." Her voice sounded like it was going to crack again. He couldn't have had a more accurate guess.

"Oh, Zelda…" he said, planting himself beside her. An answer was already present on the board. I'M SORRY ABOUT THIS ALL.

"It's okay," Zelda replied sadly with her eyes shut. "It's not your fault."

Roy felt a sinking feeling. Zelda was too obsessed with Marth. She could not get over him, so she thought contacting him through the ouija board was the solution. She did not realize she had friend here who cared about her equally, if not more. "Zelda… why are you talking to him?"

"Why else? I love him…" She gazed sadly at her outstretched hand touching the board.

"You can't live like this."

"Who said I was! Besides, I'm only talking to him right now!" she snapped. The anger in her voice surprised Roy, but he got the message. He was unwanted. Maybe she'd be done later…

"Link?"

"Ness?"

"Oh, good, you're there."

"Where are we? It's all dark."

"Good question. It feels so cold on this floor…"

"It's cold everywhere. I don't like this."

"Me neither."

"What do we do now?"

"What else? Ugh, this makes me feel so helpless…"

A glowing light seemed to shine vaguely amidst the black. Their eyes were directed towards it, almost like a magnet being pulled by an even stronger one. The sight made their blood run cold, and they stared at it like it was a ghost. It hovered up and down slightly, making it all the more eerie.

"I sense someone's presence," a cold voice spoke critically. "Who goes there?"

Ness and Link stayed perfectly silent and still. One word, and they feared doom. The light stayed where it was, strangely. "It doesn't matter, I know who you are," it suddenly broke out. "Sorry you figured it out so soon." Ness and Link prepared themselves to strike anything that got close to them. "Was Marth's body pleasing to look at? I think I did a fine job of ending his life." Link became acquainted with some rage because of how the man talked about his friend, but he could control it. "Perhaps I made it too obvious. You shouldn't worry about leaving soon. Stay awhile, take your shoes off." The menacing voice talked so casually, as if Link and Ness were welcome guests inside his cozy abode.

The glowing light appeared to have drawn closer to where the two smashers were sitting. "I suppose you have seen the pictures on the walls. If you haven't noticed anything, then you're incredibly dull-witted. You see, I do have a plan in which they are to fall. Like a stack of dominoes, set into place before me. All I have to do is knock one down, and… well, maybe that's not a good similarity to use. The other dominoes are always to blame for each fall. In this case, I mostly am the cause for each one's death." He chuckled half-heartedly.

"Of course, I can change the order, you know. I don't have to kill each one of you in a schedule-like manner. What if I have to change dates around because I simply have to? Such as, a certain event comes up that I can't have the opportunity to miss." An arctic sort of breath seemed to have breezed past the victims' faces, giving them a clammy feeling to be in this strange killer's presence. It was incredibly unnerving not knowing when he was about to strike.

"I think you're a pretty important event. I can't miss _this _opportunity. You know what this means, don't you?" They knew perfectly well what it meant. No replies were uttered, like usual. "You're about to die. Why not kill you; you're an obstacle, and I need to kick you aside." At this, both Link and Ness scurried up to their feet and attempted to both run and defend at the same time, although no blows were being directed at them. It was like being swallowed in their own fears, like quicksand slowly engulfing them into the ground beneath one's feet. They ran through eternal blackness, never knowing which way to turn or where the exit was. They tried so hard to push back the thought that they were most likely doomed. The only ray of hope they could clutch onto was that Mr. Game and Watch was not subject to this danger.

Unfortunately, as this said person was half-running, half-gliding across the passageways to the world he was more accustomed to, a severely cloaked figure transported directly in front of him, halted him in his tracks, and wrathfully peered down at him. The 2D man only had time to see the glint of bloodthirsty red eyes through the hood of the cloak until the word "Coward" was uttered from the murderer and the sensation of being ripped to pieces brought itself upon him, and the pain lasted for only about 5 seconds until he could feel nothing anymore. The picture of Mr. Game and Watch next to him lost its violet-red sheen from the lights, and that picture of Bowser that used to be there switched to three portraits away.

It only became scarier the more Ness and Link ran. First of all, they were more separated, and company was one of the only things they could value at such a time. Secondly, they were more lost than when they started running, getting sucked further into unfamiliar darkness. It almost seemed like no matter what they did, their lives were over. No footsteps lingered behind them as it appeared. Even though there was probably no hope, they vigorously continued fighting for their lives by pounding their feet against the cold ground.

The killer never seemed to find them or know where they were. At least, that was only an illusion to the both of them. Pretty soon, tired and exhausted, Ness stopped running and took a few pants and wheezes. He cringed in case something was to strike, but nothing happened. After his breath caught up with him, his brown eyes wandered aimlessly through the dark, wondering where his only companion was, wondering if anything was getting ready to attack him while he stood helplessly in the dark. Despite that, Ness' senses were acute. Something was trying to sneak up behind him… and at that instant, he turned to unleash a PSI Flash, meant to startle or give the enemy so much seizure, it would conk out. A noise like a yowling dog exploded for an instant, and Ness knew he found his target. Now was the time to run again.

His victim had struck the cloaked figure, and indeed, the light had a powerful affect on his dark-accustomed eyes. It affected his mind so badly that he couldn't be angry at Ness before cringing on the ground and feeling sick. Ness kept running, certain it would definitely be out to strike again. He only hoped it became unconscious.

After a decade of running, Ness slowed down and began to wheeze. His breaths were short and light. His lungs felt like they needed to explode, and his tired leg muscles whined for him to stop overworking them. Where was Link? The Hylian was capable of fending off any villain or foe, right? However, a painful reminder of how the killer was able to kill everyone he attempted to murder shot through his mind. If only he had some form of company in this endless pit of shadows! It was all a test of survival in the dark, with a pair of mice and a hungry, stealthy cat.

"Link?" he called wearily, hoping that somehow, his companion was close by. When nothing except the echoes of his own tired voice responded, he felt like plopping down on the ground and giving in. 'No, I can't do that,' he reminded himself. 'Still have a chance, Ness. Go for it!' He took a deep breath. 'Go for it!'

Somewhere in the distance, the Hero of Time warily checked his surroundings for danger or a hidden trap looming in the dusky pit. Sword ready and shield out, he prepared for a sneaky strike to the back of his head, or a blow across the chest. His footsteps were hushed and his breathing camouflaged with the black nothingness. He had seen the flash of light emitted from Ness. Who was the one who howled in such terrible pain? It certainly didn't sound like it should belong to a human.

How was one supposed to escape? That was his only motive right now, either that or to defeat the dark figure that inhabited this lair. Were there any walls or structure to this place? If so, where would he find it? All he could feel was the ground beneath his feet,but that was all. Even the air felt heavy around him, like it didn't exist. As a matter of fact, the loneliness of it all made it feel like _he _didn't exist. Suddenly, a voice rang inside his head. _Lnk. L-ink. Link. Are you okay? _It took him a moment to realize, but a feeling of relief spread over him. Ness knew telepathy! He didn't feel so alone anymore.

He couldn't possibly respond back, but he tried by telling the voice in his brain that he was fine. Ness seemed satisfied. _Hey… you're noticing the lack of structure this place has, aren't you?_

_**Yes.**_

_I think I have a solution. Close your eyes. If you can imagine structure surrounding you, maybe… maybe, I think we can crack this darkness. I think we can get back alive in order to tell the others. Hear me?_

_**It sounds like it's worth a try.**_

_Especially since we're so desperate, huh? Try it. I think we'll surprise ourselves. _Link could feel connection with Ness break, but he closed his eyes obediently. To his vision, it looked like nothing had changed. It was still dark, but it was a more familiar type of dark, the one inside his own head. He tried to pretend he was not where he really was. No, not in this perpetual abyss perfectly suited for the darkest of vampires. He desperately wanted to imagine something more pleasant than the Smash Mansion, like the breezy, open fields of Hyrule with the sky painted blue. Maybe, he could try thinking of the glistening Lake Hylia in front of him, the shore barely rippling with the mass of water and the grass soft as chick down. Instead, he had to return to the mansion in order to help the others. It was the dignified thing to do, so instead he pictured that he was standing amongst the commons area. If he focused hard enough on the substance of that place, he might be able to somehow teleport there. He took a step, feeling his way around just to make sure he was doing this correctly. A few more steps further, he ran into a solid wall. This took him by surprise at first. His hands groped around the flat, straight wall in front of him, and if he moved along it sideways, his hands slid against the cool, bland surface. Amazed, he proceeded to move his hands against it, almost like it was the only thing separating himself from the dark, lonely chasm he had traveled to. He treated it like an anti-drug, desperately feeling along the actual structure he had craved to feel when he was trapped in that horrid place. A smile played along his lips, and he gave a small laugh. He might be free!

"Excuse me?" a voice said behind him in minor disbelief. "What… what are you doing?" The shock of it all forced his sapphire eyes open, and he really did see a wall in front of him; the wall of the commons. When he turned around, he really was where he had imagined himself to be. Ness was right! Imagining your surroundings really worked!

There was only one thing wrong with his background. Samus was staring at him like he was insane, a raised eyebrow mocking him and a slightly worried look pasted on her face. She was obviously waiting for an explanation. "Uh… erm…" Link's face transformed the color of a cherry. How embarrassing… and it would be very difficult to explain why he was doing something like that.

"I'll have to admit, I'm… worried. You were laughing and feeling up the wall!"

Link gazed at the ground. "Uh… too hard to explain." At the moment, he preferred to be back in that empty darkness.

She gave him a derisive smirk. "I only wish I had a camcorder on me." She laughed as his face flushed darker. He didn't blame her for laughing at him. If only he realized he was back at the mansion sooner…


	14. Plots, Plans, and Betrayal

"So, let me get this straight," Samus said as she and Link had become more familiar with what was happening. "You say you actually went through some bizarre third dimension and discovered the assassin's whereabouts. You brought Ness and Mr. Game and Watch, but you're not sure where either of them are? Don't tell me you've lost them back there…" She could only think about how that must feel, to be left behind in some unknown world with the murderer who has been killing everyone they were familiar with. What chance did they have in there?

Link placed his forehead on the palm of his hand, resting his arm comfortably on one of the tables and sitting down beside the blond bounty hunter. Although most people thought he and Zelda were close friends, he and Samus were just about as close. It was an astounding surprise for Samus to find her friend clinging to the wall and giggling. "Yes. Yes, it all happened. Does this face look like it would lie to you right now?" His visage displayed a solemn, serious appearance when he showed it to her.

"No, but usually it does." She smirked slightly at that, but it faded just as quick. He was in no mood for those kinds of remarks or jokes. "Well… it's unbelievable, but I believe it, if that makes any sense."

A long pause washed over the two before Link spoke again. "I think Ness is going to return. I'm just worried about Game and Watch. He has no idea how to get back. I think we may have lost another one." Samus frowned with Link over this saddening fact, even though they weren't exactly that fond of the 2D character. "Oh, but there was something we discovered," Link said. "There were these portraits of fellow smashers on the wall, and they obviously went in order of who was to die next. It said that Popo was next on the list. I was curious, did he die?"

A choking silence overcame Samus when she remembered. What Link was saying had to be true, no question. "I… y-yes, he did die next. Nana was devastated. I felt so sorry for the poor girl, and almost guilty. Who was after that?" There was a curious glint in her lime green eyes.

Link tried to recall what he had seen. "The murderer said that he could change orders, so I don't know. I think it was Bowser, since I managed to escape from that freaky place. Mr. Game and Watch came shortly after that." He brushed some blond hair from his face. "He said he could change order of the pictures to suit his needs. He told Ness and I that he was going to kill us next regardless." Samus became scared when he told her his, and she grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly.

"No, that's not right," she said, mostly to comfort herself. "I don't like the thought of you dying. The weight of Marth's death was enough for me to handle." She took a good look at her friend, hoping desperately that she did not have to lose him too. What would it be like? How could a person, who is living, breathing, talking, and moving at this exact moment possibly be lifeless the next? Could it be that simple? She opened her mouth to say something.

"You're going to offer to protect me, aren't you?" he asked with a grin. Samus stopped breathing for a second, taken aback by his accuracy. She laughed, and said, "How did you know?"

Link chuckled, looking down at the flat surface of the table. "I just know you too well."

Roy returned again to find Zelda still toying with the ouija board. He wanted to cry out in hopeless frustration. _What the hell? I swear, she's obsessed! I know she's upset and everything about Marth's death, but it's annoying and she needs to quit! This is all I find her doing! _He tried to calm down, but it was hard. "Zelda! Are you still playing with that board?" he asked her irately. He was worried.

She turned around in shock, surprised to see somebody standing at the doorway. The princess had no idea that anybody, much less Roy, was even present in the room. She had been too absorbed in her desperate conversation with Marth. Eyes wide, mouth agape, the blonde responded, "I, I didn't- am not being obsessed! Why do you keep hunting me down like that?" Her retort was more frightened than anything. This was not like her.

The Pharean sighed in frustration and distress. "Because I'm worried about you! Look at you! You're worshiping him like a god! You can't build a relationship like this, Zelda! He's dead! Deceased! Gone! If you do this, you'll be unhappy! Please, stop hurting yourself. I know you love Marth, but constantly talking to him won't help you in the slightest. It's like beating a dead horse." All those words came out thoughtlessly, but they were truly what the redhead felt. Her reaction was in anguish and heated.

"No, Roy! You don't understand anything!" she screamed. "You act like he wasn't your friend, and I think you're jealous! Please leave me alone and stop saying such things!" She was on the verge of tears now, so she quickly swerved her head around to face her occupation. "Someone like you couldn't possibly know what it feels like to be in love."

This did it for Roy. He snapped like a wire that had the toil of an incredibly fat bird perching on it for too long. "What do you mean I don't understand what it feels like? How could you possibly say that? You think that just because I don't have a relationship with some dead guy who loved me back dearly that I don't have those kinds of feelings! You have no idea how I feel! It's YOU who doesn't understand!" He strictly felt intolerably bad about saying all these mean things to Zelda, but she had played with his ego and his temper. He wanted to stomp out, but he couldn't leave Zelda like this. She was obsessed with the board.

"I'm sorry I said that, but please," Roy begged, "stop doing this!" He tried to approach her, but she commanded him to go away. After he didn't obey, she shot an angry spell at him. It froze his feet to the floor and made them as heavy as boulders. "Zelda!"

She hotly turned her head towards him, her eyes like blue fire. "No, Roy. Leave me alone! Go mind your own business."

He wanted to retort something like, "I would, but you froze my feet to the floor!" Instead, he remembered what she had explained earlier about the board and its rules. The instructions had plainly warned not to become obsessed with talking to your deceased loved ones. "Zelda, don't you remember? The rules said not to get obsessed with talking to the same person on the board. Remember that? It's exactly what you're doing! Please, get on with your life! We all still care about you! What about Link? What about Samus? Nana? Kirby? Mr. Game and Watch? Ness? What about _me?_" He too felt a small urge to cry slowly creep up on him. She slammed the carpet with force, making the board jump a little, also affecting the other furniture in the room. Then, sobs emerged from her throat shakily and loudly. They stung Roy like bees.

"I know, I know, but it's so _hard! _I love him! Doesn't that mean anything? This board is like a drug addiction now. I can't stop talking to him! It hurts to do that, and it's not enough to quench my thirst to see him, but at least it's something!" She coughed. "My heart feels like burning up."

Roy noticed that the spell had weakened. He approached her side and gave her a comforting hug. "This is something too." Those words had affect, because then she clung to him for life.

"Oh, Roy! I hate this! Why won't it all stop? Why can't we just rewind time and make sure nobody gets hurt? I'm losing my sanity."

He rested his chin on her golden hair. "Well then, I should get you out of here. Maybe it would be best for you to leave this place." He scooped her up and carried her defiantly out of the room that held her captive. Finally, he could help her slowly forget. It would take time that he did not have. Still, it was better than feeling bitter jealousy and worrying about the princess' mental and physical health.

"I think that staying together would help decrease the chances of murder," Roy murmured as he carried weeping Zelda upstairs. Nobody notices the steady creak of stairs as they are being stepped upon, but the house appeared so silent and forlorn that the creaking echoed throughout their ear canals. It seemed so distant now, but memories of a more cheerful house still haunted the interior. It was somewhere distant, but all the same it existed in this dead mansion, but so vaguely that it merely breathed like a ghost. The flashes of memories were like a desirable song that could not be sang quite as beautifully any more.

Roy hesitated, and then chose the safety of his own room, located on the second floor. The mansion was designed almost like a hotel, with at least two sets of rooming floors for the smashers to stay in. There, many moderate-sized bedrooms scattered across the halls evenly, each painted the same color of cream, although some rooms had changes to suit the inhabitant's likes. Roy's was not one of them. He was perfectly fine with any color so long as it wasn't pink or bright yellow. His room contained a double-sized bed tucked on the left side of his room, with comfy throw pillows and poofy burgundy sheets. He had a small closet, and a pretty big wooden dresser that wasn't kept so clean, with odds and ends scattered along the surface. There was a bookshelf and a desk situated close together, too. He had a gaping window that was currently shaded with blinds, but no balcony. The carpet had some things scattered around upon it too, but not very much, and an unfortunate red blemish made itself clear on the blue shaggy floor covert. He set her on the edge of the bed, and collapsed into his beanbag chair. The satisfying plunk noise rustled the contents of the chair, creating a sort of dusty sound.

Zelda miserably gazed at the dark blue shag beneath her feet. She felt apathetic, a trait not found in the usual princess of Hyrule. With losing a lot of people close to her, where would her life end up? She feared it to be the same exact thing from day to day, a meaningless life from here on out. Sure, she would be able to regenerate from her depression, but she had no willpower to. Roy, almost randomly, said, "I'm really sorry about all of this… even the things that weren't my fault. Although it doesn't seem like anything can be repaired, it can. I really don't want you to be like this. You're not being the Zelda I know, and it… it hurts me to see you like this. I know this sounds like some stupid dramatic mushy speech, but I'm really trying to make you feel better." He removed his gaze from her partly hidden face and looked at his own legs, bent so he could lie back in the beanbag chair. His pants were ebony black, fitting a little tightly around his slender legs. His hopes were that Zelda was at least considering what he told her.

Zelda smiled half-heartedly, and closed her eyes. "I know you are. Some things don't mend easily, however, and I'm too weak to try right now." Roy looked up to her. At the moment, she looked like a fragile glass doll that might break into more tears at any second while she softly spoke her defeated words. He did not want to believe her reasoning. Clenching his right fist loosely, he countered, "No. Even the weakest can at least try. Please Zelda, my happiness depends on you. I need you to at least take up your own happiness a notch. Make me feel better." He sort of blackmailed her. If she didn't try to pick up her heavy heart, he had threatened that he wouldn't be happy. It wasn't an empty threat, either; those words were true.

Zelda frowned and let her eyes get even glassier when she looked at Roy. This new fact distraught her a little more. If she couldn't mope around, Roy would be more cheerful. She felt like she absolutely _needed _to sulk. It was like her anti-drug against going insane. "Roy, I can't. I don't want to hold my true feelings in. Please give me time, I need to recover." She gripped onto the soft sheets for support.

The redhead sighed silently. Nothing would make her happy. Not even he could, and if it would be possible, there were so many limited ways. Although he was torn by Marth's death, he was still envying the prince who still held Zelda's heart even after passing away. How could he retrieve it like that? Zelda would be so sad not to have her lover by her side! If only he could be the one to be with her like that. The chambers of love could be so cruel.

Sometimes, he wanted to bring Marth back just so Zelda could be happy again, even if it meant sacrificing all his chances to be the object of her affections. However, his selfish side usually took over then and declared, "No, she's mine! Keep Marth away, I don't care." What he really wanted to do was pop back to the time when none of this killing stuff had ever even decided to happen. Even though not everyone was killed yet, their spirits were murdered brutally.

That night, everyone was incredibly cautious. They were advised to stay together in groups so that it would make everything harder for the murderer. It proved quite efficient. There was power in numbers, so it seemed, because there were plenty of eyes that were able to penetrate all secrets of the room. Not only that, but the murderer didn't dare strike with other smashers present in the room. It was too risky. If one smasher was killed, then the other few would definitely be happy to throw a revenge party.

However, there was a fact that dissatisfied all in the big building. Where was Mr. Game and Watch? Where did Ness go? Fox was missing as well. Kirby had informed that Fox was indeed involved with some assassination, but now he had mysteriously disappeared. Ness and Game and Watch were supposedly killed, but that was just a very educated guess. Link would look down upon himself and quietly thank Ness for saving his life, while hoping with his entire heart that Ness had somehow made it alive out of that prison of nothingness. He deserved to live for telling Link how to escape.

Samus had entered the room of Master Hand for what seemed like the millionth time. He was so accustomed to it that she was now a normal visitor, and he didn't see her as anything out-of-place. She could stride in anytime she wanted, because she was a useful person. He asked her to help him out a lot with the current situation. One mission he had given the bounty hunter was to scope out Fox. If she found anybody incredibly suspicious, her order was to shoot him or her down on the spot. The giant gloved hand turned around, desperately hungry for information despite how weary he had become. "…So… anything discovered? Did something interesting happen?"

Samus sighed inside her suit. "Sorry, sir. Fox is nowhere to be found. There have been no suspicious men. Not only that, but I haven't seen any signs of killing since Popo." She had been saying the names of so many dearly departed that she never flinched after they formed off her lips any more. Master Hand seemed to sink in midair out of disappointment.

"Oh! Oh! But your spirits do seem to have faded over this amount of time!" a ludicrous, cheerful voice cried from another room closeby. Nobody needed to guess. It was Master Hand's brother. Again. Stupidly, too. "I haven't seen a smile around this mansion for ages!"

Master Hand heatedly replied, "Well, that's nothing to be so happy about, now is it?"

The left hand joyously bounced into the room. "Insanity is a barrier against melancholy! Heehee!" With that, he flopped onto his sane brother and palmed him to the ground. Master Hand angrily squirmed and demanded that he get off. Samus didn't even find this funny.

"Uh, well, I'll just be leaving then… unless you have something else I need to do," she said, beginning to move her legs out of the large room. Crazy interrupted her. "Wait!"

"What?" she asked in a slightly irritated monotone, gradually halting. Crazy Hand giggled and tossed a bucket of pantyhose on her head.

"These should be washed! Put it on warm and set it for a heavy load. Then, dry them carefully so they don't shrivel up or break!" Samus and Master Hand groaned at the idiocy of the deranged hand, while Samus thanked the gracious gods above that her suit protected her; after all, nobody knew where these pantyhose had been. Besides… why did he even have them in the first place? There were some questions in this world that could never be answered. Master Hand told her to ignore these orders and that SOME people should wash their pantyhose themselves.

As hoped, as well as expected, nobody was even injured throughout the night. The caged birds watched helplessly as the sun rose over the horizon, almost an unreachable emblem of hope among the clouds. Many plotted what their next plan of action should be in one of the recreational rooms downstairs. A table had been set up with chairs, just so it felt more businesslike. Link, Kirby, Samus, Luigi, Master and Crazy Hand, Jigglypuff, Bowser, Mewtwo, Zelda, Roy, and Pikachu were gathered inside the room in order to discuss or arrange something. The room wasn't bustling with noise as usually predictable because this was no laughing matter. Most of everyone's spirit had been knocked out of them. Master Hand was first to speak anything.

"It has come to my attention, and probably most of yours, that we should actually start fighting this monster and break out of this situation," he announced. The great white hand was situated at the head of the table, minus a chair since he had no use for one. "We can't just act like pins ready to be bowled down anymore. Marth definitely showed us an example of that. So far, we know that the killer is probably not one of you smashers besides Fox, who has grown unstable. Not to mention he mysteriously disappeared. We also have two others missing."

Link raised his hand for attention. "But I was with those two, so I know they're probably not up to anything suspicious. Besides… I think we might have lost them. Mr. Game and Watch is probably just fine, only he doesn't know how to escape from that weird dimension. I think, though, that Ness was killed." Having actually said that forced Link to look back on those disappointing words. Ness, of all people, was the one to be killed in that dark abyss, yet he was the one who also came up with the solution that Link played on to get out. Ness should have too! It made him angry, but the past had been done. Ness was most likely dead.

"Sounds likely," Mewtwo mused, with his pawlike hand under his chin. His mauve eyes were focused directly ahead of him on the wood surface of the table, like he was only partially included with the conversation. "…Though, how did you manage to escape? I'd expect Ness to find a way out of there quicker than you."

Zelda became a bit frustrated. "Don't go supposing those kind of things! You don't know Link that well." She seemed to have calmed on the Marth issue a bit, which was a thankful thing for everyone alike.

"He told me how through telepathy. It really makes me think about it, though," Link said thoughtfully. "I wonder why I was able to break through the barrier of that dimension, but he, who came up with the idea in the first place, was unable. I haven't seen him in the mansion anywhere."

"Maybe you're just lucky," Jigglypuff suggested without much background. "Either that, or you just tried harder."

"I think he was killed before he could try," Bowser mentioned. "It's obvious. He tried to be of use and tell you how to get out before he was murdered. Right there."

"And that's also very likely," Samus agreed. "Now that I think about it."

Link sighed silently. "It makes me wish I could help the guy."

Bowser chuckled. "It's probably too late for that."

Master Hand cleared his nonexistent throat. "Okay then, we have some ideas on where Ness and Game and watch went. Now lets do something about this. Fox is still a big threat, because we don't know his whereabouts-"

"Then I say he commit suicide," Kirby butted in. Some smashers glared at Kirby for interrupting, but also took that notion into thought. It was possible, with Fox's current state of mind.

"Wait-a your turn," Luigi demanded the pink blob.

"…AND he is still insane. At least, I think so. He probably already got what he wanted, since he laid all the blame on Yoshi, and then assassinated him. That doesn't get him anywhere, since now he's a murderer. We are all going to stay in groups to discourage any more murders. Think of it as a buddy system."

"It's completely useless," Mewtwo muttered. "The murderer will just find you and kill the lot of you all on the spot." All eyes were staring silently at the psychic cat Pokemon, if not a little bit suspiciously. Mewtwo was weird. Everything that was happening at this moment could possibly have to do with him. A strange dimension? Definitely sounds something Mewtwo-related.

"Not if you're smart or strong, you won't," Samus retorted.

"That's why you pay attention," Pikachu agreed.

"Feh."

"I was thinking that maybe," Roy began to suggest, "we could send a bunch of us back down that hole into the other dimension. Most of us know how to get out, don't we? Maybe we can murder the murderer, if you know what I mean!"

"Sounds like a good plan," Jigglypuff said. "If you wanna get KILLED."

"Jigglypuff, no, I think what Roy's saying is a good idea," Kirby defended. "Seriously, if we want to go against him, we should try being in numbers. We also need to get rid of him, and maybe all these murdering problems would melt away. Then we can get out of here."

"I like that-a plan," Luigi agreed. "That-a way, we can get-a rid of the murderer, and-a the barrier will be gone too." His blue eyes seemed to brighten with the idea."

"But it's such a simple-minded, cliché idea!" Crazy Hand whined. He was laying flat on one of the couches, acting like a bored child on a rainy day. "Come up with something more devious and complicated!"

"Crazy, nobody asked you," his brother said in a warning tone. All he did was giggle in reply. "In a way, I think he's right. We need more of a plot to a plan. Not that Roy's isn't good enough; I just think we could try something else too." Minds were sorting crazily, so much that, if you could hear brains, all the ideas trying to break through would sound like a bunch of papers shuffling at the same time.

"Try it like this," Mewtwo suddenly said. "We could send half of us down to the dimension. Do it strategically, like for instance, if Pikachu went down, his speed can come in handy. Then, you can send somebody with brute power, like Donkey Kong or Bowser, to hide in a certain area of the dark. His lightning attacks should act like a lure for the enemy. Not only that, but it also blinds him from his ability to see normally in the dark, since his attacks are so bright. While Pikachu distracts the killer, he leads him towards the area where the strong smasher is located, then he attacks. It should deal some serious damage to the killer. You need to confuse him. Make him go after one particular person, and have some others waiting for the right moment. There are other strategies you can come up with; I gave you one of the stupidest ones."

"It sounds like it would work," Master Hand considered. "Perhaps we could go down in big numbers and make everything seem like one big mouse trap for the killer. We will have several strategies ready, depending on how he reacts."

"And who is down there," Samus reminded. "I think that strategy would be perfect. However, I think everyone should be involved. Some of us have bright moves or can move fast and distract the murderer, and some of us have moves that can really pack a punch if you wait. We don't have to have just one. It will be like setting lots of traps and having tons of lures waiting all over to grab the enemy's attention."

"Wait, one problem," Link mentioned. "How will we know how everything works down there? It's an alternate dimension. Up could mean down. Bright could be dim for all you know!"

Samus smiled slyly. "That's why we go down there and find out."

In the dim caverns of the strange dimension, there lay a new body. It almost acted on bare instinct, sometimes grunting in disdain or twitching randomly. It was alive. Narrowing hidden eyes, an unknown being approached the confused body carefully. "Meh… you're too out of it," the cold voice murmured. "I'll just knock you over and put you out of your misery." A sort of reddish-purple gas began to form on the hidden hand of the being that belonged in the dimension as it looked down upon the simple-minded beast below it. Just another obstacle. Then, it spoke.

"No… wait. Don't kill me!" he hollered. The supernatural being paused, letting the soft flames fade.

"Why do you insist on making me wait?" it questioned innocently. The tone of its voice was sickening, like it enjoyed playing twisted games with people.

"Because… because, I can help you." He lifted his canine face up to the covered being with a pleading air. The dark figure became greatly amused.

"Help me? How? How can you possibly help me? And how do I know you're not just playing some nasty trick to destroy my fun?"

"Because I hate them. All of them. They don't understand. They want to keep me still. They don't believe my sorrow, and they call me crazy. I escaped down here so you could consider this." His eyes looked a bit distant, like he couldn't understand right from wrong anymore. The evil being grinned under his massive bulk of clothing.

"It looks like I have a helping… hand." He chuckled slyly to himself as he grabbed Fox by his ears and hoisted him up. "You. Come with me. I know they're after me, and you can be my backup... or… a nice puppet. That's how you can help me!" The Starfox pilot stood up shakily, nodding his head in agreement. He waited obediently for orders, like a dog awaiting his master's command.

"Come here. It's too light for my taste. Then, we can demolish all those dreadful smashers at a much more suitable pace." They both transported to the darkness of the murderer's home, where Ness and Link had struggled blindly to break away to the world they were familiar with.


	15. Back Down The Rabbit Hole

"So… is everyone ready yet?" the high-pitched tone of Kirby inquired anxiously amongst a group waiting near the transportation room.

"More importantly, is everyone here yet?" Luigi said, glancing at the hallway in anticipation. "We need-a all the support we can get."

"Just wait. Samus, Ganondorf, and the rest will be here shortly," Link assured. Sure enough, soft footsteps on the carpet told the waiting ones that everyone was surely here now. It didn't seem like they were in any different shape to fight, but in truth, they were prepared. Everyone wore grim expressions, knowing what unexpected possibilities lay ahead, and if they were ever to turn the other way again. Without a word, nods were cast around as they all entered the room, using the teleportation pad to transport to Final Destination. Right now, Final Destination was a chilly word for the objective. It meant so many things. Final. Final meant an ultimate ending in which one could never return to the other joys he had. It was defined as reaching and pertaining to the terminating end, a cold, hard description not for the weak-hearted. It was so simple.

The crowd of smashers frowned mournfully at the silent body of Marth. He looked like he was sleeping, minus the dried blood on his clothes and the bruise. Zelda could feel her heart lurch, so she turned away to hide herself from the disturbing sight laid before everyone. She hated having to repeat the sights that overwhelmed her previously. Roy was naturally there to be comforting, so gentle touches from the redhead were enough to calm Zelda's furious, woeful spirits at least a little. After the disconcerting display of lifeless Marth, the focus switched to the perfect hole on the flat ground leading to what seemed like eternity.

Link stepped forward. "It looks intimidating, but you won't end up falling forever. There are a few things I should warn or remind you about." He brushed a flaxen bang from his eyes. "Once inside the other dimension, things are a bit… different. It is strange. I recall odd temperature changes, strange sounds coming from nowhere, and the hard-looking walls feeling like something stretchy. Not to mention, water dripped from the floor and landed on the ceiling! The place smelled like a mix of pizza and soil! Or… something of the sort, but… I think you understand what I mean." Lots of smashers nodded in perceptiveness, keeping their ears open for more the Hylian had to say and their faces as blank as a clean sheet of paper. "I half expect to meet Mr. Game and watch while we're there. Hopefully, he's alive still. I don't know if the killer pounced him yet." His poignant eyes deepened more.

"…Can we find out now?" Roy asked apprehensively.

"Yes. Only… everyone, expect the unexpected. Don't let your guard down. Put on your bravest face, and prepare to undergo something very dangerous and unfamiliar." With a small amount of hesitation, he slid through the hole in the ground, hoping that everyone else behind him would follow bravely as he did. Fortunately, the smashers were definitely not cowards, and they all followed, one by one, down the hole into what looked like infinite space.

However, it was only a short drop down the chute. From above, it seemed like it would take forever to fall down into the new dimension, when in reality it felt like two seconds. Another convenience was that falling in such a way did not cause any broken bones or even a single scratch. The large group gaped along their surroundings, dazed.

Ganondorf rubbed his head in confusion. "How trippy."

"Well if you think that's trippy, you don't know the beginning of the meaning," Link commented, standing on the podium with the rest of the smashers. "I think that along this corridor, we may find Game and Watch. If not, he's… well, you know." A silent response. "Down there we'll find pictures of deceased friends and live ones. I can't quite remember who was supposed to be next, but we'll find out." He began to lead them down the creepy hallway, all of them already feeling small changes around them. The air pressure had definitely changed and it was harder to breathe.

Down the corridor, as Link had said, the portrait of Falco became visible, then Pichu and the rest of the poor victims. The special violet-red lights began directly after a picture of Mr. Game and Watch, waiting to draw away from a picture of Link. In order, they passed by Bowser, Kirby, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Ganondorf, Jigglypuff, Pikachu, Samus, Roy, Young Link, Mewtwo, Nana, Luigi, and, finally Ness. It had been very breathtaking to walk down the visible hit list of the killer, almost like being squeezed through a tight tunnel with no trace of light. Near the end, everyone was talking now, buzzing about what they had just witnessed and about protecting their loved ones whom they valued most.

Naturally, in these cases, Mewtwo, being the loner that he is, had nothing much to say. His lavender eyes scrolled along the wall, pondering the information this all gave him. There was something that nobody had enough sense to notice. With this bit of info, they might be able to add another missing piece to the puzzle set before them. "Hey. Hey. I said hey!" Mewtwo called the blabbering smashers to attention. "Before all of you get ecstatic about anything else, it would be efficient if you noticed that Fox is not present anywhere in this corridor." Silence. The hum of a mosquito could probably be heard from far away as the group took this into consideration.

"That's right!" Roy exclaimed, punching a fist into the palm of his other hand.

"Good-a catch," Luigi remarked, smiling weakly towards the apathetic catlike Pokemon.

"Where could he be then?" Jigglypuff questioned, absolutely clueless. She could be a bit of an airhead.

Questions about this topic sprouted into their minds as they quietly began to converse about Fox's whereabouts and why he wasn't in the group of pictures. Many thought he was the actual murderer; after all, he did kill Yoshi, as the ouija board proclaimed. Some thought he had managed to escape without anybody knowing. A few thought he might have committed suicide, as thought before at some point. The killer would have no reason to place a suicidal victim on a hit list.

Shyly, Nana voiced her observation. "Ness is at the end. You said… Luigi was, right Link?"

The smashers turned to the withdrawn voice of the lonely Eskimo girl, then to Ness' picture on the wall. Link's mouth nearly hung open with dazed thought and slight shock. "Oh…" he droned. "That's right. I really thought he died. Why is he suddenly placed there? Could he be… a hostage of some sort?" _Great… the killer likely has a trick up his sleeve involving Ness, and he's planning on blackmailing us to get his way, I bet. _

The group of 14 wandered to the end of the long corridor, questions bubbling in their minds like a boiling pot of water. As Link instructed, they all tumbled down into the dark pit of nothingness, prepared physically, but not mentally. The group waited on for some sort of surprise hit right off the bat from the hiding assassin. It didn't happen. All remained quiet as an abandoned house after a war was over and done. Not even their unsteady breathing was loud enough to disturb the unsettling silence that rang ears.

Mewtwo made everyone receive an important telepathic message. _It would be best to back up against each other for support and as an endorsement for when the killer does come. I sense an unworldly presence nearby, and if you value your pathetic lives, I'd suggest you do as I tell you to. If not, then it's not my problem. _Everyone didn't hesitate to obey Mewtwo; he was very intelligent and had been a bit of help throughout their short travel through this paranormal dimension. A circle had been formed, with two people on each mark backed up against each other, eyes peeled, ears open, and mouths calm. Link, being the only one to have even ventured into this dark world, was naturally the most nervous. He knew what could possibly happen. He'd prefer if he were back home, out of this endless abyss he had been gone astray in previously. Out of the entire situation, the murderer finished, and, despite how impossible, the disposed victims restored to their old selves. It was beginning to develop into too much pressure for him. "Why aren't you showing yourself?" he demanded loudly yet a little bit shakily. "Don't be a coward now."

His wish had been granted. An explosion of red-hot flames erupted from the center of their sloppy circle huddle, alarming everyone to the verge of having their hearts implode and forcing their bodies to give way, being thrust forward away from the searing blaze. A giddy cackle emerged from within the smoky, fiery outburst that sharply contrasted from the empty darkness. "Visitors!" the screeching voice cried in glee. "What a welcoming surprise! Do take your shoes off- I believe you won't be going anywhere for a really long while." A blinding pain slithered up Link's spine, causing him to cry out in both shock and agony, then he fell forward.

Samus and Roy, the beings closest to the fallen Hylian, were the first to bolt for his side. "Link! What's wrong?" Roy immediately asked his fallen friend.

Link persisted to pant hard, clutching his sides in distress and muttering small groans of pain. Samus kneeled down to help him up, but he cried out in reply. She stopped touching him all together, worry crossing her face in the dark. "Link…"

"Dammit…" he cursed on his breath, clenching his teeth and hanging his head, trying to fight against the shooting pain. This was not a good time to worry about him, however, as the killer had the entire group distracted. All of a sudden, Bowser could sense somebody breathing behind him, his bloody scent wafting closer. Instantly he tumbled backwards in hope to crush the new person with his protruding spikes. With a satisfying bang, he smirked to himself. _Ooooh, I got him now,_ he thought with pride, until a ripping at the frontal portion of his body caused that sense of pride to rip right in half, along with his softer underbelly. A loud, painful roar shook the air around the alarmed group, creating more feverish panic as to what needed to be done.

"We can't just let him get at us like this!" Young Link protested, unsheathing his Kokiri Sword with the satisfying sound of metal being rubbed against. That always meant battle to him. It always made him feel strong, because almost one-hundred-percent of the time, he accomplished everything when the blade was called. _Nobody's gonna mess with me like they did Older Self and Fat Tortoise Reject! _He made sure his shield was put to good use and that his senses were acting as sharp as their limit.

People around him were getting the message too. If a distraction such as someone else's pain were going to cost them all their lives… well, they shouldn't let that happen. The darkness made everything harder. Where was the enemy? What devious plan did he have in mind for them?

Link still lay on the ground, cringing with pain. He felt sick. Very sick. Samus and Roy tried their best to consult him, but a quick blow contacted Roy and made him spin around in time to counter the attack. For once, a sharp cry from the stranger had echoed, almost sounding like a dying crow. He, of course, was flung backwards. This was the chance they had all been waiting for, in Roy's opinion. "Quick! Everyone, head for that spot where you heard the scream!" he commanded. "If he is no longer there, remember to keep yourselves battle wary!" The smasher obeyed mostly, only leaving some behind in the shadows. Many found the feeling of cloth against their fingers when they reached the designated spot, and immediately began to strike it with the pure intent to kill. This procedure stopped when Ganondorf asked them to halt. He picked up the bundle of cloth, flapping it around to show proof that it was actually empty. Am agonized scream from Jigglypuff only proved that the murderer was not far from that area. He had only tricked them.

While Kirby panicked and rushed to her side, Roy was not finished. "Anybody left should know what to do!" That would be Young Link. Him, being behind, felt the swish of wind that a body created when passing by, attempted to jab in the direction he would have been in if that were the case. He hit absolutely nothing. A hard poke in the opposite direction caused the younger Hylian to stumble, more from the surprise of it than anything else.

Roy bit his lip. He was a battle strategist, only it was severely difficult to instruct orders when he couldn't even tell what was going on. It almost seemed useless unless he could shed some light on the subject. Remembering what Mewtwo had implied about Pikachu, he quickly acted upon a sudden idea. "Pikachu! Create some light with your electricity. Something flashy, please. Hurry! Try to locate the enemy!" Pikachu obeyed, and without haste, sent the charge out from his yellow body. At last, silhouettes made themselves clear amongst the shady area. No sign of the murderer was made clear except for the instant flash of a being disappearing from sight hastily. Fortunately, Roy knew that Donkey Kong was in the area. "Okay, DK, hurry! Remember what Mewtwo said earlier!" A moment to process the information, and the burly ape sent a brutal punch the direction he knew the killer was coming from. Another painful shriek, and the perpetrator was sent flying.

Before everyone could bound for the spot he supposedly landed, Samus knew projectiles would come in handy for this moment. She sent one of her homing missiles zooming for the target, and with satisfaction, she knew he would be unable to dodge it. She was correct. A more muffled cry came from the attacker.

Things were going quite well. Nobody had been killed yet, but an unknown pain was sent up Link's body and Bowser was wounded. Jigglypuff was in mortal condition, as she had been stabbed in the backside. However, an unexpected force bowled over many of the smashers in that moment. A bluish-white light had taken Luigi, Ganondorf, Kirby, Jigglypuff, and Zelda down in a fell swoop. Roy could only stare as he muttered, "Hol…ee… carap." Rephrase that. Things were not going quite so well.


	16. A Reign Collapses

Once the light had disappeared, only darkness was left in its path. Roy's mouth refused to close as it dangled in horror, mind trying to hook to a single idea of how or what on Earth that did and was.

"Z-Zelda! Luigi! Kirby!" His throat managed to spill a few names as his futile eyes scanned for the remains of the intensive assault. He scrambled over to the death site of the light and searched for a hand or a back or a head. Nothing. It was just as bleak as this whole subspace was portrayed. In the dark, his mind could grasp the surreal and dismiss the real, and it seemed possible for anything to have occurred to the victims grazed down by the bluish light.

"Anybody hear me?" he questioned the darkness. Only his ears would pick up the sense of another being. His heart pounded as the chances of his own death increased. He was leaving himself vulnerable, but the adrenaline rush was the only thing enhancing his ability to escape a possible attack, heightening his senses in such despairing surroundings. No response was made. Roy's face fell.

His body twisted around as not a sound was made. It was as though he had gone deaf and the absence of sound was screaming in his ear canal. While his soul whimpered, his body prepared boldly for any kind of occurrence. "Hey, is anybody here? Somebody!" Now he found himself not only calling for the injured, but for anyone, someone. Oh Gods, there was nothing here! He was all alone! In a sense, he would be much more relieved if that notion was true, for if there was actually _nobody _here, then the supposed murderer had vanished as well. That could never be certain. It was such an inhuman presence, and the instinctual human fear of the unknown took over his body like the strings of a puppeteer clasping to his limbs.

"Okay, Mr. Darkness! If you're planning on killing me, just get over with it now!" he hollered, hearing no echo. Nothing. Not even the killer was willing to offer an answer to his loneliness.

Was this a trick of the mind? He couldn't trust himself.

Unbeknownst to Roy, there was a new situation hatching in the darkness. He no longer heard the sound of his lonely voice, but a potential companion. He wasn't sure quite yet whether it was a desirable companion or not. "Roy. Calm down."

"Huh?"

"You need to be quiet. Pay attention."

"Hey… why? And who are you? You sound familiar."

"That's because you know me somewhat. Mewtwo. Hit a chime?"

"Oh… yeah, it does! Hey, wait a minute, how do you know… ehehe, nevermind, stupid question." He laughed as a backup for his pointless question. Of course he knew Mewtwo was psychic! There were no more queries. "What's going on? Have any idea?"

"You'll see."

Those words made Roy's blood run cold. "Hey, wait a minute… ah, hold on… you sound… a little…"

"Suspicious?"

"Yeah! That's the word. But-"

"You and the goddamn rest of the world, I see."

"Hey, when you're in a pit of absolute darkness and anything beyond the capacity of my imagination is possible, you can never be too sure."

"Well… truthfully, I don't understand the entire situation as a whole. I sense nothing."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's just you and me."

If Roy's blood was already cold, it dropped another fifty degrees. His foot traced backwards, his mind attempting to fathom where his only companion, a mistrustful one at that, was glaring at him. Was he next? Could he prevent his death? Was this how his friends died? "You-"

"Now don't go numb on me. If I were you, I'd get over that shallow idea. Give me one good reason to kill a fool like you. I want you to know that there's _nobody here but us._ Even I'm surprised."

Roy tried a new pathway for his brain to think. No, Mewtwo may not be the killer, though such a scenario seemed ridiculously perfect for a time like this. He decided to trust him from a distance. If he were to blindly listen to any of his requests, he would keep his ears open and his mind sharp for tricks or swift, sneaky maneuvers. "Well… where did everybody go? And why is it just you and me?"

"I may be psychic, an exceptional one at that, but even I am clueless. After the flash, nothing remained. However, I do feel the chilling presence of sleeping souls."

_He had to word it like that. _Roy swallowed in the dark, wondering just what he meant. "Ghosts?"

"Precisely. I'm fairly sure, but it feels insignificant. It is probably just the flavor of our surroundings."

"Oh, okay then." Nothing had cleared up in Roy's understanding.

"Not even the stale feeling of that murderous… being… is here. I don't feel anything."

"Well, that's the first thing you said I actually liked to hear." Roy felt the fumes of worry float off his conscious, but he was still wary of the psychic Pokemon who remained acute in the darkness.

"We're just special, I suppose. Nothing happened to us."

"Man… I don't know if that's good or bad." His heart ached to know what happened to everybody.

"I would like to know as well." A groaning, irritable sigh pushed from Mewtwo.

The general paced aimlessly through the unseen path ahead of him, unafraid of barging into a single wall or obstacle. He was gravely mistaken when his foot clashed paths with a spherical object lying uselessly on the ground. Normally he wouldn't be too shocked; it was usually something a careless person left behind, but in this case, something didn't add up. He was accustomed to nothing but him and empty space between the rest of the universe. Curiosity pulled its strings and forced Roy to pick it up.

"I found something weird, I think." In his hands, it had a smooth, glassy feel. He shook it just for a start but was bored and disappointed when nothing happened. "It fails to be exciting, though…"

"Hmm? What did you find?"

"This b- oh crap!" With a false slip of the fingers, the sphere tilted from his grasp and darted for the ground, shattering and emitting a bright, colorless light that exploded into the sable night. Roy stood utterly speechless, not sure whether to feel guilty, stupid, clumsy, or all the above.

"What did you do this time?" Mewtwo was not an ounce amused.

Roy glanced around. "I didn't necessarily _mean _to. Just saying."

"Well, please be more careful next time you find something interesting. Now we can't do anything with it." The extrasensory being sounded rather irate about this mistake. After a pause, Mewtwo then suggested, "Perhaps we should teleport back inside the mansion for now. I don't see any reason why we should remain here."

"Yeah… I guess." Roy was surprised to find his grim companion closer than he originally expected, and with a touch of the ball-like hands that graced his shoulder, the pair vanished in a smidgen of a second.

- - -

A few more feet and the forbidden door would be in reach, and hopefully the spell would disband. It was doubtful, but Ness figured that, if he couldn't worm his way into the mansion again to free everyone from the inside, he would simply have to get outside help. The Smash Tournament was an exceedingly popular event, after all, and this cycle or murders had gained quite the load of publicity.

Rather than returning to the mansion as Link had, Ness took another route. He teleported to the exterior of the Smash Mansion, appearing with an unfortunate case of unconsciousness in the garden. Freshly awoken, the 13-year-old boy scrambled to the front doors, hoping to pry it open. _If anything, I have to hope it's unlocked in the first place, _he considered. _If it's not, then it wouldn't budge regardless, barrier or not. _Ness' hand found the handle, and when his fingers clicked the lever that would release the hold on the door, he pulled.

…

"YES!"

Immediately after intrusion, Ness could feel and vaguely see the force that kept the building in a massive invisible eggshell. It dispersed with a faint glimmer and allowed the young smasher to view the mansion from the outside, something he hadn't done in a while. Grinning ear-to-ear, he tried calling somebody over to discover what had just happened.

"Oh my God, guys! Look! The doors are open! The doors are open; the barrier is gone! You've got to see! Come on! There's…" He ended his cries to the sad end of disappointment. Nobody would hear him. He tried calling louder, but his echoes reached no one. His voice was swallowed by the emptiness of the mansion.

It concerned him. This was a big place, but surely somebody would pick up his shouts. It irked him in the back of his brain that the murderer may be watching him and prevent him from unleashing his prisoners. "Hey!" He tried it louder. "Hey! Everyone! Hellooo? I opened the doors! We can get out of here!"

Still no response. He sighed in defeat. Before he could give up, however, he reached into his pocket and retrieved his cell phone, pushing for his contact list and scrolling down in order to find the names of particular smashers. Samus seemed appealing. He could trust her. Pushing that number, he held the device up to his ear intently.

It rang once. Twice. Three times. Finally, Ness' heart was charged by the sound of an answer. "Hello?" It sounded rather groggy, however, which barely concerned Ness at the moment.

"Samus! Oh, oh, this is Ness, and I have something to say. It's really important."

"Mmm? Ness? Huh. Wait- you disappeared!" Her voice had woken up.

"That I did, but I'm here now. I'm all in one piece, too, if that makes anything better." Ness continued to shine. "But I have some good news, I think!"

"Say it." She still sounded a bit tired…

"The doors and everything else was covered with a barrier, right? Well, not anymore! I killed it. It's gone."

"Seriously?" She nearly squeaked with a sort of excitement. "When did that happen?"

"Just now! Where are you?"

"I…" She seemed to stop. "Um… Looks like the kitchen on the second floor. I…"

"You okay? You don't sound like you're in top shape."

"Ah… no, it's just… well, something happened, long story, and if you must hear, here goes. This is the short version. The majority of the smashers decided to go to the dimension you, Link, and Game and Watch traveled to, including me. We were there, confronted by the would-be killer, but suddenly, after a weird spell, I wound up… here. By myself." She coughed. "In the dishwasher door."

"Tch… funny. I hope you're not still in there." He snickered softly into the phone, trying to hide his humor for such a crucial moment. "Come to the door."

"Wait. You can't let the door go. We need to keep the barrier open, just in case it activates again. Can you stay there?"

"Um… sure. I'll wait for you then. Good luck getting out of the dishwasher."

"I'm not in the dishwasher. Thanks, Ness." She was disconnected, and Ness put his cell phone away with a triumphant beam, pressing his back against the oak door.

Within minutes, Samus appeared clanking down the stairs, forcing her feet to hurry and greet Ness with his accomplishment. It was an exhilarating moment to grasp the sun-painted grass, the porch leading up to the Mansion's entrance, trees, rose bushes, the pathway swirling around the fountain and the exclusive garden for the first time in a long while. The sight of freedom chimed through her mind like invisible bells. She was smiling underneath her armor as she met Ness, who was committing the same gesture. "How was it so easy?" Samus was breathless.

Ness shrugged. "Dunno. I just managed to come through from outside. I teleported away from the mansion just so I could see what I could do from the outside. Link didn't think of that…"

Samus laughed, recalling how she found the blond Hylian when he tried returning. "I know that very well. Okay, well, I should scout the area about now." Samus was becoming serious again. "I'm willing to bet I'm not the only one who returned like this. I want you to keep the door open for me."

"Good luck, then." Ness watched as Samus turned to leave. "I'll do that."

The psychic youth loitered around the door for a while, protecting the hinges from any unpredicted breezes. The wait was relaxing, that is, until he noticed a few large vans carrying multitudes of people far off in the distance. Ness squinted, raising a flat hand to defend his vision from the brightness of the sun as he gazed into the scene. Then, it smacked him. "Oh snap. News crew."

As if they knew! This had to be some funky coincidence, because there was no possible way they had any scoop on Ness' recent doings. Ness understood that, because the cable wasn't cut inside the mansion, the local and universal studios were driving themselves haywire obsessing over the mysterious murders at the Smash Mansion and why the tournaments were cancelled due to such issues. Anybody outside of the mansion's gates were not admitted entrance thanks to the same barrier blocking exit from the mansion that positioned the whole lot inside a bubble. How he managed to dispel it with the touch of his hand, Ness felt he would never know. That is, aside from a weird, icy prick that shoved through his brain cells.

Immediately, the shouts and screams from various newscasters and reporters burst from the white vehicles and charged into Ness' eardrums. Their hands were on the bars of the big gates no seconds later. Ness felt he had seen something like this in a movie once and swallowed, widening his perception and wishing he could scramble back inside the mansion, to safety. One lone smasher could never survive a flood of publicity. It was much more undesired than your average tourney match.

A scream bubbled up inside Ness' throat as he watched them pool onto the stone pathways and onto the lawn (which required some good mowing) and stampeding towards the majestic building. He could hear his name being called and questions already being thrown at him, and for a second he considered whether Samus' punishment for disobeying her was greater than that of a hyper wad of media monkeys. In no time, they were positioned on the porch, running a frantic race to see who could tackle Ness first.

"Wh-whoa, hang on! Couldn't I, uh, get changed first or something- uwaao!" The predator was upon its prey as Ness struggled for personal space, being bombarded with questions such as "Why are you out here?" "What happened in there?" "Could you please tell me who the murderer was?" and "Are you the sole survivor? How did you do it?" In the haste, the colorful crowd had accidentally bumped the door shut with the help of a mischievous breeze.

Unfortunately, Samus had arrived with the whole lot of smashers, and directly when she laid eyes on the previously open door, she halted right on the stairs. Everyone else stopped simply because she had stopped and blinked every which way, staring at the door with confusion that could never equal Samus'.

…

"NESS!"

"You said it was open!" Young Link objected, face growing skeptical.

Samus shook her head, continuing her trek slowly. A few still followed.

"I really thought-a we could get out. Where's Ness?" said Luigi with extensive disdain.

Donkey Kong scratched his head and noted, "What that noise?", staring at the unyielding doors with bewilderment.

The other smashers paused to pinpoint just what sort of sounds the ape was hearing. Indeed, there was the faint roar of a riot just outside the door. Now everybody had halted and realized that Ness just might be in trouble.

"Let's just hope we can open the door still!" Samus exclaimed as she grabbed ahold of the handle. Time seemed to stop just as everyone else did when the door opened. It truly was a scene with the fortitude of a riot, but all it turned out to be was a crowd of reporters.

From the top of the stairs, Ganondorf thundered, "For the love of Din, don't you hellspawn know about the media policy? Get off our property now!" Naturally, everybody, including everybody, shut up at the magnitude of the evil king's voice, and now the news crew had quit shrieking and shaking and remained bug-eyed with fear and guilt. Ganondorf looked stern. Ness took this opportunity to scramble away from the grabby hands and huge microphones so that he could reside somewhere safe for now.

However, the new intrusive sunlight seemed to color the smasher's hearts with light, a symbolism of hope. The reporters were still invasive, but the smashers were willing to answer questions for the sake of worldwide knowledge and awareness that yes, the murder epidemic was over, and yes, everyone would return to whence they came. As for the next tournament? Well, there was no reliable answer for that one.

This whole turn of events was not over yet. Fox understood this well.


End file.
